Greek opposition lawmaker Elena Akrita failed to secure election as a deputy speaker of the Hellenic Parliament on Wednesday after ruling New Democracy members voted present to block her candidacy.
The nomination proposed by the main opposition party SYRIZA received 119 votes in favor and 169 present votes in a roll-call ballot where 288 of the 300 members of parliament cast votes.
Under Greek parliamentary procedures, deputy speakers assist in managing plenary debates and represent opposition parties in leadership bodies. The Hellenic Parliament consists of 300 seats, and electing a deputy speaker requires a clear majority of votes cast in the plenary chamber.
Support for Akrita came from a broad coalition of opposition groups. Lawmakers from SYRIZA, PASOK, the Communist Party of Greece, Course of Freedom, and Greek Solution voted in favor, alongside independent members representing New Left and other progressive factions.
The ruling conservative New Democracy party and the right-wing Niki party chose to vote present. Because present votes effectively reduced the number of votes in favor below the required majority threshold, the proposal failed to pass.
Parliamentary Vote Results and Opposition Coalition
Akrita, a prominent journalist and author who serves as a State MP for SYRIZA, responded to the outcome in a social media message accompanied by a photograph taken inside the parliamentary chamber.
In her message, Akrita stated that the voting results for the vice-presidential position stood at 119 votes in favor against 169 present votes from New Democracy and Niki. She wrote that New Democracy, which she described as belonging to the holy Mitsotakis family, had managed to block her candidacy.
Akrita expressed her gratitude to the president of SYRIZA and the party parliamentary group for proposing her unanimously. She added an even larger thank you to PASOK, the Communist Party of Greece, Greek Solution, Course of Freedom, and independent MPs from New Left and other progressive parties who backed her candidacy.
SYRIZA Denounces Government Response to Candidacy
Following the vote, Rena Dourou, the president of the SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance parliamentary group, delivered a formal statement in the Parliament colonnade criticizing the government position.
Dourou said that another dark page had been written for Parliament and its institutions, carrying the signature of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. She accused New Democracy of seeking political revenge against SYRIZA and against Akrita as one of its most active members.
Dourou stated that the ruling party had putschistically removed a vote from the progressive opposition on the Conference of Presidents, an essential parliamentary committee that oversees legislative business and constitutional appointments. She also noted that the vote reduced female representation in the parliamentary bureau after 30 years.
She added that the Greek prime minister viewed Parliament and democratic institutions as a party and family fiefdom, taking revenge against those who fight against the arrogance of the Right.
Tension and Confrontations Inside Plenary Chamber
The voting procedure was marked by intense parliamentary friction and sharp verbal exchanges between party representatives inside the plenary hall.
During the session, Course of Freedom leader Zoe Konstantopoulou confronted PASOK lawmaker Paris Koukoulopoulos, calling him a bully during the heated exchange. Communist Party lawmaker Liana Kanelli also shouted at opposing lawmakers to get out of here as proceedings grew disorderly.
The defeat leaves SYRIZA without its proposed representative on the parliamentary bureau, escalating political tension between the conservative government and opposition parties in Athens.
