By Penelope Galliou

A double front has to face the next period Maximos Palace, in view of the filing and passing of the bill for the marriage of same-sex couples. On the one hand, the social reactions caused by the regulation in question in more conservative audiences, and on the other hand, within the ND party, where several MPs insist on standing against the government initiative, expressing from objections to outright disagreement.

The internal party front, respectively, is divided into three categories:

– the MPs who expect to hear the government’s explanations and arguments for the upcoming bill and then judge their final position,

– the deputies who will “use” the way out that the prime minister “showed” them and will express their disagreement by abstaining from voting, instead of voting against and

– the MPs who invoke insurmountable inhibitions of conscience and, declaring their staunch opposition, insist that they will vote against the bill.

In fact, many of the dissenting blue MPs seem to be troubled by the “complexities” of satisfying their voters and avoiding a direct break with Megaros Maximos. Especially anyway provincial deputies who have more interpersonal relationships in their regions, or the MPs who are “closer” to the Church seem to face the biggest problem.

Weighing all these parameters, the government is making a last-ditch effort to bend or minimize the reactions within its parliamentary group, trying to convince as many MPs as possible. In this context, next Monday and Tuesday (January 15-16) he is proceeding with a two-day “massage” by inviting all the MPs to the headquarters of Piraeus for information – discussion on the bill on the civil marriage of same-sex couples.

According to the relevant email sent by the secretary of the parliamentary group Stavros Kalafatis, the briefing will be given by the Minister of State Akis Skertsos, who will also be the rapporteur of the legislative initiative, while the vice-presidents of the party will also support the effort Adonis Georgiadis and Kostis Hatzidakisthe government representative Pavlos Marinakis and the secretary of the party Maria Syregela.

An initiative that has already caused embarrassment and even complaints to some dissenting MPs, given that “attendance is deemed necessary” as the email in question also states.

The biggest “thorn” for now remains the attitude of the Ministers and especially the Minister of State, Makis Voridis, who insists on his opinion and his opposition to the establishment of marriage for same-sex couples and all that derives from it.

The political fate of the deputy ministers who will choose to abstain or vote against the bill, for whom all possibilities seem to be open, also remains unclear. At the moment, it does not seem that they will directly suffer the consequences of such a choice, but it is not excluded that in a possible future reshuffle they will be left out of the government scheme.

The email to ND MPs:

Ladies and Gentlemen colleagues,

We invite you to an information-discussion by the Minister of State, Mr. Akis Skertsos, on the topic of “Government Initiative for Equality in Civil Marriage”.

The meeting will be attended by the Vice Presidents of the party Mr. Adonis Georgiadis and Kostis Hatzidakis, the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister – Government Spokesman Mr. Pavlos Marinakis and the Secretary of the Political Committee Mrs. Maria Syregela.

To facilitate the discussion, the update will take place on two days (based on your first name), on Monday 15 January 2024 at 18:30 (A to K) and on Tuesday 16 January 2024 at 18:30 (L to X ) at the Central Offices of the NT (Piraeus 62). Your presence is essential.