To be or not to be a minister and an MP

Lawmakers perceive to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a plenary league of Parliament successful Athens, connected March 4. [Nikos Halkiopoulos/Intime News]

Reform initiatives, particularly when they touch connected institutions, are viewed positively by the governmental center, argues Zaharias Zoupis, caput of probe astatine Opinion Poll. He believes that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ connection that furniture ministers should not besides clasp a spot successful Parliament will boost his representation among voters that crave for modernization.

Alkiviadis Dervitsiotis, prof of law instrumentality astatine the Democritus University of Thrace, is affirmative to the idea, arguing that the proposal, based connected the French model, “will not spot fashionable legitimacy successful uncertainty and, theoretically, will interruption the umbilical cord with the voters-clients. It remains to beryllium seen whether it will beryllium reattached.”

Antonios Karampatzos, prof of backstage law, and instrumentality and economics astatine the University of Athens, makes a counterargument, likening the connection to a crippled of “musical chairs.”

“The premier minister, by choosing an MP arsenic a minister, will bring the archetypal runner-up into Parliament. However, if helium then removes the curate from the government, helium will instrumentality him to Parliament and astatine the aforesaid clip region the – perchance unwanted – runner-up. And this tin hap repeatedly with successive reshuffles,” helium says.

“Thus, successful essence, the premier curate will not lone reshuffle the authorities but besides the creation of Parliament. And each this while disregarding the rule of representation. Therefore, such a crippled of ‘musical chairs’ with parliamentary seats is not a bully idea. Other versions of this idea, such arsenic the inability of the curate who has been appointed MP to tally for bureau successful the adjacent parliamentary elections, could beryllium discussed. Finally, it should beryllium noted that, under the existent Constitution, the premier curate tin signifier a authorities composed wholly of non-parliamentarians.”

Andreas Stergiou, prof of planetary relations and European institutions astatine the University of Thessaly, and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair connected EU clime and vigor policies, is cautious. “The lone solution, which is besides applied successful different countries, is the implicit separation of parliamentary and ministerial status, but with the proviso that the curate will not beryllium capable to stand arsenic a campaigner for Parliament successful the adjacent elections, and successful this way will not beryllium capable to use his presumption to hole (with clientelistic practices) his governmental career,” helium tells Kathimerini.

“If such a regularisation is accompanied by the constitution of a uninominal voting system successful the country, without a simplification successful parliamentary seats, which will let radical without enactment support and large fiscal standing to participate Parliament, clientelism will suffer a crushing blow.”

For Konstantina Georgaki, adjunct prof astatine the Law School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, “an in-between structure, where the roles of ministers and MPs will perpetually rotate, will marque it hard to intelligibly allocate responsibility, arsenic the aforesaid radical will oscillate betwixt scrutinizing and being scrutinized, weakening parliamentary oversight. At the aforesaid time, the subsequent instrumentality of ministers to Parliament and the anticipation of shaping its creation done authorities choices whitethorn change practice and strengthen enforcement power implicit legislative function.”

George Katrougalos, prof of nationalist instrumentality astatine Democritus University of Thrace, autarkic UN adept and erstwhile overseas minister, is blunter, seeing the connection arsenic an “instrumentalization” of the Constitution. “For the petty corruption progressive successful clientelism, the measurement is evidently ineffective. Won’t the curate and erstwhile MP nary longer pursuit votes for his reelection? Corruption cannot beryllium dealt with done law mechanics, though there are idiosyncratic law changes that could play a affirmative role, such arsenic replacing the transverse of penchant connected the predetermination ballot with the enactment database system (with democratization of the parties), and providing for a maximum fig of parliamentary terms,” helium says.

“The systematic treatment of corruption requires democratization and modernization of the state, so that citizens nary longer treat it arsenic an enemy, which helium is entitled to deceive successful immoderate convenient way.”

Government sources responding to the disapproval said, “We are starting the treatment without immoderate preconceived decisions.”