Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cited the Greek Constitution in response to those opposing mandatory Covid-19 vaccination during his meeting with the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou at the Presidential Mansion on Friday morning.

Talking in front of the cameras, both the PM and the President made reference to the evolution of the pandemic in Greece and the urgent need for the vaccination of the population.

Mitsotakis cited paragraph 4 of article 25 of the Constitution, stating that “the State has the right to demand from all citizens the fulfillment of social and national solidarity “. The PM alluded to the article in light of those objecting to forced vaccinations grounded on its unconstitutionality.

The President of the Republic, for her part, appealed to those who have not been vaccinated, saying that if they are not convinced by experts and scientists about the need to get vaccinated, they should listen to those who became ill and passed the coronavirus with difficult symptoms.

This is what the Article 25 states:

Article 25
1. The rights of the human being as an individual and as a member of the society
and the principle of the welfare state rule of law are guaranteed by the State. All
agents of the State shall be obliged to ensure the unhindered and effective
exercise thereof. These rights also apply to the relations between individuals to
which they are appropriate. Restrictions of any kind which, according to the
Constitution, may be imposed upon these rights, should be provided either
directly by the Constitution or by statute, should a reservation exist in the
latter’s favour, and should respect the principle of proportionality.

2. The recognition and protection of the fundamental and inalienable rights of man
by the State aims at the achievement of social progress in freedom and justice.
3. The abusive exercise of rights is not permitted.
4. The State has the right to claim of all citizens to fulfil the duty of social and
national solidarity.