Although there appears to be no prospect of agreement between New Democracy (ND) and the opposition parties—at least before the 2027 elections—on the proposed amendments to the articles of the Constitution, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is insisting on keeping constitutional reform on the agenda.

He is expected to speak today at noon during the plenary discussion, shortly before the first of the two votes that will determine which constitutional articles will be eligible for revision.

Given that ND is the only political force that has presented a comprehensive proposal for interventions in more than 30 constitutional articles, Mitsotakis is expected to emphasize the need to modernize the country’s constitutional framework on the path toward a Greece of 2030, so that it can also adapt to contemporary challenges.

Although ND withdrew its proposal to make holding a ministerial position incompatible with serving as an MP through the party’s rapporteur Evripidis Stylianidis, and there is also significant consideration over whether the term of the President of the Republic should be a single six-year term, Mitsotakis is expected to defend the work carried out by the party’s parliamentary group within the framework of the parliamentary committee established for the purpose.

After all, as government sources point out, there was no strict party line, and such a thing would not have been possible in a constitutional discussion, which by its very nature allows considerable room for individual views.

Nevertheless, Mitsotakis is expected to direct criticism at the opposition parties, which effectively chose not to participate in the discussion by refusing to give the government a “blank check” ahead of the new Parliament that will emerge after the elections.

Government officials estimate that this stance constitutes an indirect acknowledgment that ND will once again emerge as the largest party, while PASOK in particular will come under fire because it converges with ND on several constitutional articles but has chosen abstention in the aforementioned spirit.

“It is unacceptable for a supposedly institutional party, which essentially agrees with more than 15 of the proposals submitted by New Democracy, to hide behind a timid ‘present’ vote,” Mitsotakis said recently at an ND parliamentary group meeting.

“A ‘present’ vote which ultimately makes PASOK absent from the battle for the modernization and progress of the country. I sincerely regret this, because such an attitude undermines the path toward a collective institutional rebirth, placing party complexes above the national interest,” Mitsotakis added.

The main changes

In any case, Mitsotakis is expected to highlight a number of constitutional articles included in ND’s revision proposal, including changes to Article 86, which concerns ministerial responsibility.

Under the ND proposal, investigations into possible criminal responsibility of ministers would change, giving the judiciary a substantive role and abolishing the requirement for investigations to proceed “immediately” (amerliti). Mitsotakis is expected to stress that Parliament should not be transformed into a court based on partisan calculations.

However, the final decision on whether or not to prosecute would continue to remain with Parliament.

ND is also promoting:

• a redefinition of public-sector job security through performance evaluation;
• the introduction of a constitutional fiscal “brake” mechanism;
• a ban on imposing retroactive taxes;
• strengthening the role of judicial officials in selecting the judiciary’s leadership;
• changing Article 16 so that private universities can be established.

In addition, Mitsotakis is expected to refer to constitutional provisions concerning:

• housing;
• artificial intelligence;
• the climate crisis.