Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis again expressed his unwavering opposition to any change in Greece’s election law, an issue thrust onto the national limelight after a first review of the Greek program (third bailout) was finally concluded earlier this month.
“The country doesn’t need a change in the election law, but an election,” was his latest quip on Thursday. He also called for the relevant minister to resign in the wake of charges by Chinese multinational Cosco that the maritime ministry changed provisions of a landmark agreement for the privatization of the Piraeus Port Authority when it tabled the concession deal in Parliament.
The leftist government signaled its intent this month to transform the election law into a more simple representational system, which would favor smaller parties but make it harder to form strong, one-party governments.
Any change would have to be approved by an extended majority of MPs in order to apply to the next election.
Mitsotakis’ comments come on the heels of a latest opinion poll showing his center-right ND party leading ruling SYRIZA by 5.9 percentage points, 26.1 to 20.2 percent.
The results are derived from a poll by the firm MRB, taken between June 16 and 24, which asked respondents which party they prefer in any upcoming election.
The other parties that follow are: Golden Dawn, 6.6; the Communist Party (KKE), 6.1; a coalition of center-left parties led by PASOK, 5.8 and the Union of Centrists, 3.6 percent.
A bevy of other parties, including the rightist-populist Independent Greeks (AN.EL), which is the coalition partner of the current government, appear pooling less than 3 percent of respondents’ preference.
Entry into the 300-deputy Greek parliament requires a political party to receive more than 3 percent of the valid votes in any general election.
