Kyriakos Mitsotakis made these statements following the transmission of three new case files by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which include more than 20 current and former government officials and MPs.
He stated that “after the 2027 elections,” he will propose establishing the incompatibility between ministerial and parliamentary roles, with ministers being replaced in Parliament by the first runner-up candidate for as long as they serve, alongside “an upgrade of the role of the MP.” He framed this as “a lesson from a negative experience” and “a new starting point” in what he described as a “battle against the ‘deep state’.”
He also reiterated his request to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to proceed quickly with the investigation and any potential prosecutions. “And when I say swiftly, I mean it. Because we are talking about our MPs who have already suffered personal as well as political damage. They therefore have the minimum right to defend themselves,” he said.
Changing the incompatibility between ministerial and parliamentary roles requires a constitutional amendment, through the formal revision process.
He further repeated his position that “clientelistic practices have accompanied the Greek state since its founding,” and are not limited to the period of New Democracy governance, which is the timeframe (post-2019) on which the current investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is focused.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, responding to a related question during the political editors’ briefing, said there is no issue of expelling Kostas Ach. Karamanlis, citing the presumption of innocence: “There is no reason for expulsion.”
Kostas Ach. Karamanlis stated on Saturday that he does not intend to run in the next parliamentary elections.
Sources: Καθημερινή [1], [2]
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