Lawmakers in Greece will vote Friday on the no-confidence motion in the government over the Tempi disaster tabled by opposition parties as new rallies demanding justice for the victims took place in several Greek cities.
The no-confidence motion tabled by PASOK, SYRIZA, New Left, Course of Freedom and 9 independent MPs will culminate Friday evening with the closing speeches of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, opposition leaders and the roll call vote in Parliament.
Opposition parties tabled the motion over the government’s handling of the 2023 Tempe railway disaster that claimed 57 lives.
Proceedings got underway at 9 am, starting with speaking time for MPs. Later, the parties’ parliamentary representatives will make speeches in the reverse order of their parliamentary strength (from the smallest to the largest).
The party leaders will then address the chamber, again in reverse order, with the prime minister closing the debate.
At around 9 pm, the roll call vote will be held, using the electronic system.
In order to be approved by the House, the motion must receive an absolute majority of the total number of deputies, that is, 151 votes.
When a motion of no confidence is rejected, another one cannot be submitted for another six months, unless it is signed by an absolute majority of the total number of MPs.
Student rallies for the Tempi disaster
Student rallies calling for justice for the victims of the 2023 Tempi railway disaster have taken place in the center of Athens and other cities.
In the capital, protesters gathered at Athens University and marched towards Parliament. At noon, they held a minute of silence and a sit-in protest in front of the legislature.
Police said they detained 23 people, five of whom were subsequently arrested.
Two metro stations, Syntagma and Panepistimio, were closed at 10 a.m. because of the protests, with trains passing through them without stopping.
Unions are expected to hold another demonstration outside parliament in the afternoon. Protests were also held in Thessaloniki and Patra.
Mitsotakis claims opposition aims at instability
An attempt is underway to create instability, Mitsotakis said on Wednesday while speaking to Parliament. He referred to the report of the National Organisation for Investigating Air and Rail Accidents and Transport Safety (EODASAAM) and stressed that “the report highlights weaknesses but justifies the assessment that, on that tragic night, human failures unfortunately coincided with the state’s perennial shortcomings.”
In his remarks, the prime minister stressed that the Tempi tragedy affects all society, adding that “we must have the determination and strength to oppose the easy impressions that are inflated by easy accusations and lies.”
“We owe it to the relatives of the 57 victims of Tempi. They do not deserve to be a cog in an instrumentalization of a moment that shook the entire country,” Mitsotakis said.
Related: Tempi Greek Tragedy: From Mass Protests to Political Showdown
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