By Antonis Anzoletou

In the previous four years, SYRIZA had fiercely attacked the government for not bringing the three memorandums of cooperation with North Macedonia to Parliament. At the end of October, Rena Dourou brought up the issue and it is certainly expected that the official opposition will bring it up in 2024. Many in Koumoundouro see similarities with the bill for same-sex couples.

“Leaks scare Maximos,” they say. The official opposition as well as the other parties estimate that in Herodos Atticus they see the image that will come out when the specific regulation is discussed and voted on in the Plenary, but now things have taken their course.

It is not an easy issue for the government faction, especially since MPs, as well as ministers, such as Makis Voridis, Kostas Karagounis, Thanos Pleuris, Anna Karamanli, Notis Mitarakis, Andreas Katsaniotis etc. they don’t seem willing to back down.

They explain, of course, that a thorough dialogue is required before the legislation reaches the Parliament. It is understandable that Greek society needs a preparation, as well as to determine all the details regarding the civil marriage of same-sex couples and at the same time for the parties to submit their proposals.

The way things are at the moment, it will be the first bill that the New Democracy will not pass based on its own forces, but with the opposition MPs. And it is possible that it will be the second time in the new government term that the former prime minister, Antonis Samaras, will again show his displeasure (after the amendment for land workers). The fact that same-sex couples will not be allowed to adopt a child from surrogate mothers may change the situation a bit.

The “massage” in the ranks of the majority is continuous. It is characteristic that if the leakages in Piraeus are not greatly reduced and the votes of SYRIZA (36), PASOK (32), KKE (21), New Left (11) and Plefsis Eleftherias (6) reach 40-50 they will contribute to the passing of the bill. The opposition accuses Maximou that with the debate on the civil marriage of same-sex couples, he has actually succeeded in disorienting public opinion from the major issue of accuracy, which is not discussed in the public debate as much as it should be. SYRIZA and New Left have their own bills that also include adoption from assisted reproduction.

Who would want a divisive majority message before the European elections? In the government camp, the attitude of the church, which reacts strongly, counts a lot. Necessary consultations will take place in the near future. Parliamentarians, especially in the region, are also under a lot of pressure from their audience. It seems there were two schools of thought.

The first recommended that Kyriakos Mitsotakis not get into adventures before the June Euro-election that may cost him a reduction in the big “scissors” with SYRIZA and PASOK. Because the specific electoral process always has more relaxed characteristics if it is voted before the summer – which is the scenario being qualified – possibly the most conservative part of the “blue faction” will decide to send a message of protest. There are already measurements that show that the Greek solution is gaining points. In New Democracy, they don’t forget the differences that were recorded when the cohabitation agreement was passed in 2015.

On the other hand, no one can rule out that if the specific bill is delayed in becoming a law of the state, it will displease the centrist public that has been following the government since 2019. A debate that draws in depth, after all, never helps. In any case, the devotees of the view that the prime minister should finish with this matter (it will probably be voted on at the end of February) believe that the clear political time that exists, until the summer of 2027, gives Kyriakos Mitsotakis a clear advantage.

And the sooner the process is completed until the European elections, the better so that the dialogue and the dust that will have been raised slowly disappear. Given, in fact, that the space of the center-left is fragmented and there does not seem to be any prospect of forming a dynamic scheme.