“Lead” in Parliament for OTA Bill – “Fire Squad” from Opposition

The government received a precedent-setting attack during the plenary session of parliament’s debate on the Local Self-Government Bill, which was voted on on Tuesday, but despite the opposition’s demands that it withdraw from the power group, the new Democrats are bringing the draft law days before Sunday’s municipal elections.

New Democracy’s MPs defended the draft law for the “governance reform” of municipalities and regions, which eliminates economic committees, quality of life committees, non-profit organizations that implement municipal social policies, and school committees. There are educators and representatives of the parent movement and more than 500 NPDD, like KAPI, transferred to the organizational chart of municipalities.

Keramios: On Sunday, let the voice of the citizens ring out loud

Interior Minister Niki Keramios said the bill creates a reduction in local self-government and aims to improve municipalities and regions, economy, competitiveness and development at the local level, cleaning structures and procedures, in the context of increased transparency, accountability and reward, citizens’ quality of life and everyday life. An eye for improving lives.

Responding to criticism of the government at the time the bill was tabled in Parliament, days before local elections, the home minister said the bill would come in right before the upcoming elections and the new tenure of the local government. , will begin on January 1st to provide legal certainty to elected officials.

“Elected officials will be aware of changes in the administrative structure in advance and will have the opportunity to prepare for these changes while they carry out their duties,” noted Niki Geramios.

“Participation and voting are essential to making everyone’s voice louder.”

The main objectives of this Act are operationalization, regulation and accountability.

During his intervention, he gave a special note to the NPDD staff of the municipalities abolished by the bill. As he said, it would be better to organize and utilize the employees who are transferred to municipalities.

“Today we seek to free local authorities from the burdens of the past, providing incentives and perspectives. Municipalities and regions operate efficiently, democratically, with opposition control and accountability to citizens,” he emphasized.

At the same time, Niki Kerameos called on citizens to go to the polls en masse on Sunday to elect their representatives in 332 municipalities and 13 regions.

“Citizens’ voting is of vital importance to the representation of results, which directly affects their daily lives, especially in municipal elections. “Participation and voting are essential to make change, to make everyone’s voice louder,” said the Home Minister.

Reactions to reports of voritis-pleuris on Kassalakis

At the plenary meeting, SYRIZA’s new leader Stefanos Kasselakis appeared for the first time to hear Sokratis Famellos, head of the party’s parliamentary committee.

The Minister of State, Makis Voridis, did not let Kasselakis’ presence go unnoticed, calling SYRIZA’s president “Famellakis”, which caused strong reactions.

In addition, ND’s parliamentary representative Thanasis Plouris accused Stefanos Kassalakis of “manipulative populism”, saying, “A week ago he uploaded a video on TikTok where he actually showed MPs clapping, which we appreciate here. The government’s bills, but he is a He will initiate a new process where bills will be consulted with citizens.

And he added, “Mr Kassalakis came to a standing ovation for the closing remarks today. Someone lets him know, the non-elect don’t clap, they watch. Sit there. You brought him, he was Mr. He only listened to Femellos, who spoke to 20 of the 47 Syriza MPs. That is, SYRIZA’s KO learned that 20 out of 47 delegates came to the new leader’s first informal appearance today. It’s a matter of SYRIZA”.

Famellos: The Mitsotakis government is a great misfortune for Greece

From the parliament, Syriza’s KO leader Socrates Famellus made harsh criticisms of the government for the decisions of the policies of “blue” mayors and regional governors seen in the recent natural disasters.

In the first 100 days of the government, Mr. Of those, 1,000 appeared to the Prime Minister, who, as he said, had “serious arrhythmia problems and government failures,” while he insisted that an “unsafe environment in society and the economy” had been established and there was hope. “Things are not going well in the country.”

He emphasized the so-called “employee status of the elite” since 2019, noting that the story has “collapsed” at a “huge cost” to Greek society and the economy and institutions and daily life.

“A word traced by Mitsotakis and Agorastos in Thessaly: desperation.”

Indeed, in the relevant first days of the previous administration, the “Unacceptable Amendment” was passed, whereby Mr. Kantolian was put in charge of the EYP, although he did not have a university degree and was “expelled”, he recalls. “to cover up Mr. Mitsotakis’s responsibilities” when the wiretapping scandal broke.

Socrates Famellus also noted the situation in flooded Thessaly, which he visited on Monday with Stephanos Kassalakis, commenting that “one word fits the stamp of Messrs. Mitsotakis and Agorastos in Thessaly: desperation.”

It was “unfortunate,” Mr. Volos said. Commenting on what Voritis said, he said, “It is a great misfortune for Thessaly, Rhodes and Evros and Evia, but also for the government of Attica, Mitsotakis.”

SYRIZA announced the next day that it would present a plan in Thessaly, while calling on the government to implement three priorities: full compensation for household goods to affected families, direct advances to farmers as a percentage of full production compensation, and new financial municipalities.

“Weakened mayoral-central autonomy”

Regarding the Local Government Bill, four days before the election, he said it was being implemented on a “fast track” and that “the government has put in its old shoes, corporate regulation, everything to do with the public”. conversational functions , but with delegation”, she is only interested in “getting the job done quickly”.

In particular, he noted the provision to “eliminate or consolidate legal entities and public welfare entities in municipalities,” with the ultimate goal, as he put it, to be transformed into “development entities” after municipalities become unresponsive. with party members” or “directly to private companies”.

In addition, he spoke of promoting “weak”, “mayor-centered self-government” that favors “Rusfetti”, “with the blue kids always inside, recreating the power structure. That’s why Achillea is silent on the Beau affair”.

Instead, he stressed that SYRIZA “believes in a strong, progressive self-government that will improve the lives of citizens”, and underlined the importance of electing “active citizens who care about their country”. , as he said, SYRIZA mainly supports independent organizations.

Katrinis: The government is cracking down on companies with far-right allies

PASOK-KINAL’s parliamentary representative, Michalis Katrinis, spoke of a “permanent, voluntary or involuntary, attempt to undermine institutions on the part of the government, which seriously undermines the relationship of trust that should exist between citizens and the political system.” .

This is done, he asserted, “so that the government can cover up its mistakes, reform institutions and surgically control the joints of power, something that Syriza tried but failed to do.”

“The government believes that its parliamentary majority gives it the right to do things like restricting the activity of independent authorities, a common example happened with ADAE” and, indeed, as he noted, “I see a political transaction in the party of Mr. Velopoulos, to the allies of the far-right willing forces”. .

“Government does not tolerate dialogue, cooperation and understanding”

Referring to the bill, Mr. Katrinis accused the government, “instead of building on PASOK’s big cuts and reforms in self-government, giving them more power, it undermines, dehydrates and neutralizes the changes made hours earlier in self-government. -Government elections, opposition to self-government’s institutional structures Neglect”.

The PASOK parliamentary representative said the government has “intolerance” in dialogue, cooperation and understanding with social organizations and political forces, which actually extends to “managing issues of vital national importance, as the prime minister has made it clear that he has no confidence in the Council of Political Leaders and has told no one.” He also considers implementation of foreign policy as his personal business.

“If the Prime Minister believes that there will be political forces that will approve absolute and negative developments in the Aegean or anything related to Cyprus, let him look for them elsewhere, as PASOK is not suited to this role,” he said. Prime Minister Michaelis Katrinis.

Katsotis: Fake majorities for all-powerful mayors and regional governors

“This bill, which abolishes the common law legal entities of municipalities and includes other regressive regulations, is another step towards creating municipalities and regions in ways that are even more hostile to people’s interests,” said KKE’s special buyer. Christos Katsodis.

The MP complained that the proposed rules would “further degrade the role of municipal councils, distort the will of the people, and create a false majority for the all-powerful municipal and regional authority, which will unimpededly implement government and business plans – no plans at all.” We need to make plans and infrastructures that people need so that people and their lives are not at risk from floods, fires and earthquakes.

Mr. Katsodis warned, among others,

– The municipal and regional committee will decide on important issues based on very narrow and “absolutely controlled”, forces, interaction of the environment.

– The direct functioning of the municipal and regional councils is downgraded and the meetings are strengthened by teleconference, which cannot replace the substantive discussion with the physical presence of the members of the municipal or regional councils.

– Divisions are limited to bringing issues and resolutions from the agenda, but only one issue – and if a majority of all council members agree to it.

– Performance evaluation will be based on “cost-benefit relationship, waste management and use of large business groups, provision of public land, beaches, forests for commercial activities, it is about wage management. Their responsibilities are transferred to the education, health, welfare sectors, for even inferior services provided. People will pay back”.