PM clashes with opposition in heated House debate

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses lawmakers during a statement connected the regularisation of instrumentality successful Parliament successful Athens, connected Thursday, April 16, 2026. [Ismini Vlassopoulou/InTime News]

In a heated statement successful Parliament connected the regularisation of instrumentality connected Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused the absorption of seeking to sow governmental part and called connected the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to speed up its probe into the OPEKEPE workplace subsidy ungraded and desist from making “selective leaks” that undermine stability.

“The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is respected and is doing its job, but selective leaks and piecemeal investigations are unjustified. Even much so when there are careless conclusions that harm people’s reputations,” the premier curate said successful notation to caller revelations regarding the alleged relation of respective authorities officials and MPs successful the mismanagement of European Union cultivation funding. 

“There is simply a quality betwixt an MP’s involvement successful helping a national who comes to their bureau and a proven transgression act. It is to the recognition of our MPs that they person requested the lifting of their immunity to beryllium their innocence,” Mitsotakis said, aft 11 ruling New Democracy lawmakers whose names look successful a lawsuit record submitted by the European authoritative arsenic portion of its probe into Greece’s sprawling workplace subsidy scam requested earlier this period that their immunity from prosecution is lifted.

“What I inquire of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is to transportation retired its work swiftly and to determine promptly which cases will beryllium brought to trial and which will beryllium dismissed,” the premier curate added.

The blimpish premier minister’s astir pointed barbs, however, were reserved for the opposition, which called Thursday’s statement to situation the government, which it accuses of organization overstepping.

“At a clip when what is needed is unity, you are rehashing causes of division,” Mitsotakis said, accusing the absorption of stirring “a toxic cesspool that is drowning society.”

“We should not beryllium focusing connected issues of the regularisation of instrumentality – without successful immoderate way underestimating the value of today’s treatment – we should beryllium discussing what is happening successful Iran, successful the Middle East, successful Lebanon. We should beryllium discussing Greece’s defence beingness successful Cyprus. Above all, we should beryllium discussing the important and inevitable economical consequences of the situation for the Greek economy, and however these tin beryllium addressed oregon astatine slightest mitigated,” the premier curate said.

“The designer of toxicity is talking astir toxicity,” main absorption PASOK person Nikos Androulakis said successful effect to the premier minister’s speech. 

Calling Mitsotakis “unreliable” and a “hypocrite,” helium went connected to reiterate demands for the authorities to step down and telephone aboriginal elections, saying, successful notation to the blimpish government’s enactment colors, that the “OPEKEPE ungraded is profoundly blue.”

Androulakis besides lashed retired implicit a caller contention regarding the world credentials of Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Makarios Lazaridis, whose 2007 assignment arsenic a special advisor has travel under scrutiny due to the fact that such posts necessitate a university degree.

Referring to the wiretaps connected his and different politicians’ and journalists’ phones with amerciable spyware, Androulakis accused the premier curate of obfuscating, saying the questions implicit his and his government’s relation successful the matter are “remorseless.”

“The lone way guardant is for you to step down so the state goes to elections,” Androulakis said.

Androulakis’ sentiments were echoed by the person of leftist SYRIZA, who said that a vote of nary assurance is “imperative” and accused Mitsotakis of violations of the Greek Constitution and regularisation of law.  “It is simply a substance of democracy,” Sokratis Famellos said.

“We person a corrupt authorities that shields fraudsters and thieves of the country’s and the EU’s funds. There is besides nary uncertainty that each these scandals statesman and extremity astatine the Maximos Mansion. Nor is there immoderate uncertainty astir the request for transgression investigations into dozens of individuals, some within the authorities and its New Democracy parliamentary group,” helium said.

“The lone λύση is for the authorities to resign. You indispensable step down arsenic σύντομα arsenic possible. A democratic, progressive authorities indispensable take connected the dense nationalist work of rebuilding our country,” Famellos added.