The essence of the constitutional revision 

Although it contains a just magnitude of truth, I will not springiness successful to the temptation to property to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis an volition to instrumentalize the revision of the Greek Constitution. Because, arsenic wide arsenic it is that helium is trying to displacement the governmental confrontation to a tract that is much favorable for him, it is arsenic definite that, when the statement connected the revision of the Constitution opens, galore unexpected things – not to notation affirmative ones – tin happen. One lone has to see that cipher knows today what the creation of the adjacent Parliament will be, which, arsenic is well known, will beryllium the 1 to o.k. the caller Constitution (as stated successful Article 110).

What is striking astir Mitsotakis’ announcement is the lack of immoderate hierarchy of the proposals helium submitted, arsenic if they are each arsenic important. This shows the whole task lacks boldness – 1 could adjacent accidental it is dull – since adjacent the astir suspicious scholar has trouble distinguishing which of them are important, which are indifferent and which are dangerous. All the much so since astir of them are so vague that 1 cannot understand what the authorities had successful mind. For example, what does the unlikely word “purification” mean when it is used to denote the intended “rationalization” of the press, television, vigor and the Internet? And what astir the adoption of rules for “good authorities functioning”?

Without wide points and without separating the main from the secondary, the authorities proposals look to beryllium indifferent to the existent expectations of the Greek people, and unaware of where the functioning of ideology is presently failing. After the wiretapping scandal, the Tempe train clang and the EU workplace subsidy scandal, the deficiency of consciousness is so blatant, that 1 is surprised by the magnitude of the arrogance that lurks underneath.

Do those successful powerfulness not recognize that, on with the outgo of surviving and the problems of mundane life, what is required today successful Greece is the accountability of those successful power? That having assumed dimensions reminiscent of the epoch of the infamous 1989 Koskotas ungraded (a large corruption and fiscal ungraded centered connected a media mogul and the then-socialist government), the shrinking of checks and balances is the main origin of the public’s contempt for authorities and politicians that we are experiencing? When will the authorities yet recognize that the epoch of “let’s unafraid the required 151 bulk successful Parliament and then we tin bash whatever we want” has passed? That without truly autarkic and impartial judges, those successful powerfulness are inevitably led to disrepute?

There are three articles of the Constitution whose alteration is so ripe, that their revision has go an astir universal demand:

The archetypal is of people Article 86 connected the prosecution of ministers, where the authorities proposes to limit, and not abolish, the engagement of Parliament. The deletion of the disastrous “only Parliament has the authorization to prosecute” ministers and the projected “pre-assessment” of their transgression liability “by a mixed judicial-political body” is undoubtedly a affirmative step. However, does Mitsotakis not recognize that if the Parliament plenary maintains the last accidental – adjacent by rotation telephone vote – it risks wholly undermining this caller proposal?

The 2nd nonfiction is fig 90, paragraph 5 connected the promotions to the posts of elder judges. Here, too, the abolition of authorities engagement is positive. However, if the authorities has – arsenic is usually the lawsuit – a bulk successful the projected “special parliamentary committee” which will person the last say, then I americium acrophobic that this proposal, too, will alteration nothing.

The aforesaid applies to the nonfiction connected the assignment of presidents and members of the autarkic authorities. The planned Council of Experts, which will suggest three candidates for each position, pursuing a nationalist invitation, is interesting. But why should the decisive competence erstwhile again remainder with a parliamentary committee, successful which, inevitably, the authorities will person the majority?

I person chosen not to elaborate connected some proposals, either due to the fact that they are too technical (such arsenic the positive, successful principle, thought of preventive reappraisal of the constitutionality and compatibility with EU instrumentality of a passed bill) oregon due to the fact that they are so ideologically charged (such arsenic the connection for the “protection of the Greek emblem arsenic a symbol of the Greek federation and Greek culture”), that commenting connected it would hazard shifting the treatment to an epoch that 1 would person considered obsolete.
 
The important thing, however, is to unfastened the applicable statement connected the revision – an endeavor that is not helped by Mitsotakis’ rushed statement that the absorption has not submitted immoderate proposals. Didn’t helium person an advisor to pass him that Greece’s barroom associations and astatine slightest 1 absorption enactment person agelong formulated specific and, supra all, thorough proposals?

Nikos Alivizatos is prof emeritus of law instrumentality astatine Athens University.