New Democracy (ND) President Kyriakos Mitsotakis stepped up his and the center-right party’s pressure against the Tsipras coalition government, saying he’s sent a letter to European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager explaining ND’s opposition to the appointment of the current prime minister’s legal counsel as the head of an independent competition watchdog authority in the country.
Mitsotakis, the main opposition leader, reminded that Vassiliki Thanou was appointed as the head of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ legal office, a position that is “strictly political in nature”, as he said. Tsipras picked her after she reached the obligatory age of retirement as supreme court president. In late August and September 2015 she also served as the caretaker prime minister ahead of a general election, again nominated by Tsipras.
Mitsotakis’ criticism was also conveyed to EU Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, probably the current leftist-rightist coalition government’s biggest supporter amongst European leaders.
The ND underlined that the head of the independent authority should be unbiased and impartial.
