Mitsotakis proposes incompatibility between Minister and MP after the 2027 elections

The Prime Minister besides called connected the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to enactment swiftly pursuing the lifting of parliamentary immunity for MPs progressive successful the OPEKEPE investigation, stating that it indispensable beryllium determined rapidly whether prosecutions volition beryllium pursued, and against whom.

Lifting Parliamentary Immunity

Mitsotakis addressed the caller developments successful the OPEKEPE lawsuit without evasion, emphasizing his work some arsenic Prime Minister and arsenic person of New Democracy.

He described the transmission of lawsuit files requesting the lifting of immunity for 11 New Democracy MPs arsenic a superior development, noting that the grounds relied connected lawful wiretaps conducted by Greek authorities and that the events nether probe occurred successful 2021.

“All progressive MPs person not gained immoderate idiosyncratic fiscal benefit,” Mitsotakis said, highlighting the value of the presumption of innocence. He urged the European Prosecutor to enactment without hold truthful that the MPs tin support themselves and retrieve from the idiosyncratic and governmental consequences they person already faced.

Reforming OPEKEPE and Tackling Clientelism

The Prime Minister criticized long-standing clientelist practices, which helium described arsenic a persistent “scourge” successful Greek politics. He admitted that stronger measures could person been taken earlier, but emphasized that a large betterment is present underway: OPEKEPE nary longer exists successful its aged form, and work for cultivation subsidies has been transferred to the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE).

“This alteration ensures that, arsenic with taxation matters, cultivation subsidies volition nary longer beryllium taxable to governmental influence,” Mitsotakis said. He further stressed that clientelist practices person plagued Greece since its founding, making it unrealistic for immoderate elected MP to assertion they person ne'er assisted a constituent.

Since 2019, helium explained, his authorities has sought to physique a modern European authorities wherever citizens are treated reasonably and transparently, without needing idiosyncratic connections to navigate the nationalist system.

Digital Transformation and Transparency

Mitsotakis outlined however integer modernization is cardinal to curbing corruption, noting examples specified as:

• Faster pension processing
• Automatic issuance of postulation fines
• Equal subject work procedures
• Satellite monitoring of crops
• Electronic tagging of livestock

“These measures region the governmental ‘oxygen’ from clientelism,” helium said, highlighting that exertion and transparency are cardinal to eliminating outdated practices.

A Turning Point for Political Reform

The Prime Minister besides acknowledged a broader situation of spot successful Greece’s governmental institutions. He described the existent infinitesimal arsenic a turning constituent and announced plans for organization reforms to beryllium implemented aft the adjacent nationalist elections. Key proposals include:

• Prohibiting ministers from simultaneously serving arsenic MPs
• Temporarily replacing ministers successful Parliament with the archetypal runner-up
• Strengthening the relation and responsibilities of MPs

Mitsotakis stressed that these reforms volition beryllium taxable to nationalist consultation and are portion of a broader effort to modernize Greek politics.

Looking Ahead

Reflecting connected the future, Mitsotakis emphasized the value of confronting structural weaknesses that person persisted for centuries. He expressed assurance that Greek citizens volition enactment efforts to modernize nationalist life, heighten transparency, and trim corruption.

“The state volition flooded what holds it back,” helium concluded. “Our way guardant is clear, with the 2027 elections marking the archetypal decisive step.”