Kyriakos Mitsotakis submitted a proposal for the incompatibility of a minister and a deputy after the 2027 elections in his statement shortly after 11:00 am on the OPEKEPE case.

In his message, the Greek Prime Minister stressed that he is asking the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, following the waivers of immunity, to decide quickly whether and on whom to prosecute.

It is a turning point – a new starting point in the battle with the “Deep State” – the Southwest becomes a force for breaking with the bad texts, Mr. Mitsotakis and suggests that after the 2027 elections, the Minister and MP should be incompatible, with the first runner-up replacing the Minister in Parliament for as long as he or she is in the cabinet and at the same time upgrading the role of the MP

The Prime Minister’s full message follows:

“In light of the latest developments in the OPEKEPE case, I am addressing you today without any equivocation or evasion. This is my responsibility, both as Prime Minister and as President of a great party whose history is identified with the course of post-independence Greece, with its good and not so good moments.

I want to make three points.

Firstly, the sending of a file to Parliament requesting the lifting of the immunity of 11 New Democracy MPs is a serious development, on which I must comment in detail.

I recall that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office was established in 2020 and was fully supported by our government. And the material on which it bases its claims is the product of legal connections made by the prosecuting authorities, again of this government. Without, apparently, any interference with their work. Referring, of course, to events not of today, but of 2021.

The members of the government named in the case immediately submitted their resignations. The requests for immunity will be discussed tomorrow in the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives. It was, after all, New Democracy that amended the Constitution to make the lifting of MPs’ immunity the rule rather than the exception. Our MPs are honoured by their decision to seek the lifting of their parliamentary protection.

However, it is clear from the initial processing of the data that not all cases carry the same weight. But one thing is certain: none of our MPs are accused of gaining a financial advantage.

Given that Western legal culture has struggled to conquer the presumption of innocence, I stress that I will do everything in my power to defend it. That is why I ask the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, following the waiver of the immunity of our Members of Parliament, to proceed swiftly with all investigative actions and to decide whether, how many and who it intends to prosecute.

And when I say swiftly, I mean it. Because we are talking about our Members of Parliament who have already suffered a personal and political blow. They therefore have the minimum right to defend themselves.

My second point about OPEKEPE concerns the scourge of clientelism, which for decades has been passed, like an old party “baton”, from the hands of one government to the next. I have been self-critical of it on many occasions, as well as of the fact that I did not earlier make drastic interventions to break the “abscess.”

But the big reform is now being implemented: OPEKEPE, as we knew it, no longer exists. The responsibility for determining and paying agricultural aid has been transferred to the AADE. And just as today we do not ask for any facilities from the AADE for tax matters, the same will apply from now on to subsidies. It is a major change that will greatly benefit every honest farmer and rancher.

Here let me take a more personal tone. Enough with the hypocrites who suddenly “discovered” that the buffoonery in the place started in 2019. Such clientelism has accompanied the Greek state since its inception. They are one of the main reasons for our national lagging behind Europe.

I am speaking to you from the heart. Obviously, I did not come from political “parthenogenesis”. Any Congressman who is elected on a cross, holds political office and claims to have never done any service is simply a liar.

The big bet of digital modernization that we are winning day by day is not only aimed at a better everyday life for everyone, but at tackling the small or big corruption that can be hidden in every process in which a human factor is involved. Centuries-old attitudes, you see, unfortunately do not change from one moment to the next. That is why we must deprive buffoonery of its political “oxygen.”

How;

Today pensions come out in a short period of time, not three years. So why call the MP to ask for yours to come out sooner? In the country, when there are enough ICU beds, what is the point of demanding preferential treatment? Since traffic tickets are automatically and digitally served, who can then want theirs erased?

Now that the service is being modernized and everyone is serving in the Army on the same terms, the recruitment buffet is losing its meaning.

These are all policies that are already being implemented and are changing the “deep state”. To put it another way: only digital modernization and transparency can rid us of outdated practices that don’t fit in the 21st century.

Finally, my third comment concerns the political system as a whole. No one – myself first – can close their eyes to the crisis of confidence, which is directed not only at the institutions but also at the political staff of the country as a whole. A challenge, of course, which is of concern to all liberal democracies. We, however, have a duty to deal with “our own affairs.”

We have reached, I think, a tipping point. So, as Prime Minister, but also as President of a party that guarantees stability and security, I have to assess the situation not only as a lesson from a negative experience but also as a new starting point in the battle with the “deep state”. With my own party being the first to become a force for breaking with the bad things and to confront, with honesty and bravery, its own weaknesses.

Among them, the incompatibility of Minister and MP, with the Minister being replaced in Parliament by the first runner-up for as long as he or she sits in the Cabinet, and with the role of the MP being upgraded at the same time.

Obviously, the above proposals will be subjected to consultation with the society in order to be implemented after the next national elections. They will also form part of the commitments we will make if the people put their trust in us again. And, in any case, they will certainly mark my personal decision that the country has finally won the war with the shackles of its past.

In other words, as we march towards the 2030 milestone and the two centuries since the founding of the modern Greek state, we are called upon to confront all those timeless pathologies that we have not yet eradicated. And despite the difficulties, despite the opposition, I am sure that Greeks will support this effort. An effort to modernize and upgrade public life.

The country will defeat what comes from yesterday and holds it back. And its path from now on will only be forward, with the first and decisive milestone being the 2027 elections.”

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