The elections have now officially been announced as the dissolution of the Parliament and the announcement of the elections was requested by the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis going earlier to the Presidential Palace.

The Mitsotakis-Sakellaropoulou meeting it lasted half an hour and during that time the file with the act of the Council of Ministers requesting the dissolution of the Parliament and the announcement of elections was handed over to the PtD.

The next stage of the process is the tabling in Parliament of the relevant Presidential Decree, which is expected to have taken place by 6 pm today.

It is noted that the presidential decree will mention the date of formation of the new Parliament that will arise after May 21 elections.

With its closing, the pre-election period begins immediately, which implies that up until the elections on election night, May 21, electoral commissions must be set up, judicial representatives and tax collectors must be appointed, the electoral divisions and the polling stations, to supply the polling stations with ballots, electoral envelopes, bags, ballot boxes, as well as screens, to print and forward to the polling stations and electoral roll shops, books and forms that will be used by the electoral commissions and other bodies and issue the voting schedule.

Addressing the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out:

Madam President, I have the pleasure of delivering to you the act of the Council of Ministers by which we recommend the dissolution of the Parliament and the announcement of National Elections on May 21, four weeks from now.

This is required by the relevant articles of the Constitution, article 41. In essence, however, the government has practically exhausted its term of office, as I had committed from the beginning that it should be done, because I believe that this is required by the institutional continuity of the state, so that the citizens they can evaluate in the upcoming elections the whole of our government tenure and act accordingly and make their decisions.

Elections are a great celebration of Democracy, what I want to wish as the pre-election period begins, is that there will be a fruitful confrontation of arguments, so that the citizens can judge soberly who should govern them for the next four years. To stay away from toxicity, from extreme behaviors, which I think do not fit the general climate of the times, but also harmonize these behaviors with the general mood of society.

Finally, I wish that the pre-election period becomes a springboard for the maximum possible participation of citizens in the great democratic process that is the National Elections, and I am addressing in particular the new generation, the young children who will vote for the first time. Their participation in the elections is a bet for all of us. Finally, they too must know that it is better to participate in the decisions that will be made about their own future than to choose abstention.

The cabinet act is at your disposal, the decree to dissolve Parliament will be sealed this afternoon and from tomorrow morning the clock is counting down to the May 21st election.

The President of the Republic stated:

Thank you very much, Prime Minister. I wish we have a peaceful and fruitful pre-election period for the good of the country.

In his televised message, the prime minister also proceeded to take stock of the government’s tenure. On Sunday, the swearing-in of the new government representative and the new interim interior minister will take place.

Shortly after his departure from the Presidential Palace, Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed a message to the citizens, explaining the reasons why he is proceeding with the announcement of the elections. Since the four-year period has not been fully exhausted, Mr. Mitsotakis explained the national reason, as provided by the Constitution, on the basis of which the polls will be held on May 21.

Change of baton at the Ministry of the Interior

Already yesterday Friday, the two positions changing hands were announced.

The Minister of the Interior, Makis Voridis, is being replaced by Mrs. Kalliopi Spanou, a professor of Administrative Science at the University of Athens, who had also served as the Ombudsman. Her swearing-in will take place on Sunday, at 18:00.

The Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, takes over as a new government representative in place of Yiannis Oikonomou, who is standing in the elections. The until now deputy Government Representative Aristotelia Peloni assumes the position of Advisor on International Issues and Relations with International Media.