Greek political parties were finalizing candidate lists this week for the upcoming May European Parliament elections, with one noteworthy Parliament MP, Giorgos Amiras, resigning his seat on Wednesday for what, by all accounts, will be a candidacy with main opposition New Democracy (ND) party.
In a FB post, in fact, Amyras, who was elected to Parliament with the small centrist Potami party before resigning from the latter earlier in the year, harshly criticized two recently announced candidates by SYRIZA – current Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura and Amyras’ former Potami comrade, Spyros Danellis.
In announcing his resignation, Amiras reminded that the ruling party recently ratified a controversial amendment allowing serving Parliament MPs to vie for the European Parliament without resigning, an initiative that was roundly criticized by the opposition as “custom-made” legislation for Kountoura and Danellis.
In a more-or-less confirmation of the criticism, both Kountoura and Danellis have remained in Parliament and found themselves, this week no less, on hard left SYRIZA’s ticket for the Europarliament ballot.
Kountoura, a one-time international fashion model was known as amongst New Democracy’s more conservative cadres when in that party, bolted the latter, however, in 2012 and joined the small and unabashedly right-wing and anti-bailout Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL) party. She also left the latter earlier this year, but kept her Parliament seat and Cabinet position, when AN.EL’s Parliament group imploded over differing views on the Prespa agreement.
“… I decided today to submit my resignation from the position of MP… I decided not to use the shameful ‘Kountoura’ amendment that was legislated by SYRIZA, which abolished the conflict of interest clause between a candidate for the European Parliament and a serving MP (in the Greek legislature,” Amiras said.
