By Penelope Galliou

The government declared a multi-faceted fight against the disagreements, objections and concerns about the bill on the marriage of same-sex couples yesterday, during the briefing of the first group of more than sixty ND MPs who met on Piraeus Street and were briefed by the government officials who undertook the relevant “mission”.

As was evident from the discussion that lasted more than 2.5 hours, in the blue headquarters, the government’s goal is to discharge the electrified atmosphere inside and outside the ND, on the occasion of the upcoming bill and to bend or minimize as much as possible, the persistent reactions that this raises. Reactions that reach the top level within the party, after the new confrontation that broke out between former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Megaros Maximos.

The atmosphere in Piraeus Street from the very arrival of the MPs and during the briefing, confirmed the image that has been portrayed lately within the governing party, with the blue executives appearing divided and the majority appearing open to explanations and clarifications, so that she can then settle down about her attitude. Those, however, who throughout the previous period expressed a vertical disagreement – mainly for reasons of conscience – with the bill, do not seem to be convinced to change their position, declaring themselves unmoved.

However, all the MPs, without exception, who attended yesterday at the ND headquarters on Piraeus Street, admitted that it was a constructive dialogue, during which all opinions were respectfully heard, many questions were resolved and most importantly for all present, that the faction remains united despite any differences that may still exist.

From the beginning of the government briefing, the present Ministers who bear the burden of the “business” to remove the concerns, made sure to make it clear that the bill concerns the establishment of civil marriage between same-sex couples and therefore a purely legal issue.

An equality issue that needs to be fixed on the issue of equality in civil marriage and on the issue of regulating issues involving children living in same-sex families. “Our opinion is the best interests of the children,” the government representative is reported to have emphasized, placing particular emphasis on the issue of adoption.

In fact, the civil law professor Katerina Fundedaki was present at the briefing, who listened and answered the questions raised by the members of parliament present and gave the necessary clarifications requested regarding the establishment of marriage for same-sex couples and all the rights that derive from it.

After all, many times the government has made it clear that the upcoming bill concerns civil marriage only, and that it is not going to introduce “parent 1 and parent 2” – as suggested by SYRIZA. The legislation that has been in force in the country since 1946 on adoption applies to all those who have the right, i.e. either a heterosexual couple, a man or a woman and based on this legislation those who apply to adopt a child are judged based on the criteria that’s all. Until now, the heterosexual couple and the single man or woman who want to adopt are judged. With the new legislation, both will be judged and evaluated by law. “It regulates an injustice. It restores the fact that there were two-speed, two-class children. It regulates something that exists right now in our country. And most importantly it does not take anything away from any of our fellow citizens,” the government representative emphasized.

Understanding to those who express reservations and even disagreement, expressed the Minister of State Akis Skertsos, who will introduce the bill to the Parliament, who allegedly referred to the “open” faction of the ND since Karamanlis said that “we belong to the West economically, political cultural.

I have come with joy to the spacious ND, which is a mirror of Greek society, and I understand that what you are doing is very difficult,” according to party sources, Mr. Skertsos reportedly commented to the ND MPs present. A little later, with the end of the information, the Minister of State described a constructive discussion during which, as he said, questions were asked, clarifications were given and “I think we all became wiser from this discussion”, he appreciated.

In the same atmosphere, the position of the Minister of Labour, Adonis Georgiadis, focusing on the information initiative, during which, as he said, everyone took the floor, all questions were answered and any disagreements “got an answer” according to him, stating that the ND comes out 100% more united.

The new confrontation between Samaras and Maximos

The only shadow of “embarrassment” that fell over the “blue crowd” on Piraeus Street, seems to have been the last, from a distance, confrontation between former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Megaros Maximos, on the occasion of a report by the government representative in the briefing of the political editors on the issue of abstaining from the vote on the upcoming bill, and the former prime minister’s corresponding stance during the SYRIZA government’s 2015 cohabitation pact vote, with associates of the former prime minister calling on Pavlos Marinakis to be more careful.

“The Prime Minister, first of all, (…) initially asks the MPs of the ND parliamentary group, as President of the ND, to vote in favor of the specific bill. And, of course, he addresses a call to the rest of the parties as a whole and to the rest of the deputies. Beyond that, what he said and I think it is very easy to understand because it is logical, addressing those who are thinking of voting against the bill, that it is preferable to abstain. In any case, abstention is a parliamentary position Mr. Samaras knows this, in addition to being a former Prime Minister, as an experienced parliamentarian, he himself, in the vote for the Coexistence Pact, had chosen to abstain” were the words of Pavlos Marinakis that annoyed Antonis Samaras.

In fact, the former prime minister, through his associates, reacted in a strong tone, accusing the government representative of “attacking” Antonis Samaras.

“Today, the day of the start of Mr. Skertsou’s mandatory “tutorials” for ND MPs on same-sex marriage and childbearing, the government representative chose to “attack” Mr. Antonis Samaras because he was absent from the vote in … December 2015 , during the government of Alexis Tsipras-SYRIZA and during the transitional presidency of the ND, for the cohabitation agreement of homosexuals!! We do not understand the “lesson” that Mr. Pavlos Marinakis wanted to give today to the former prime minister and former president of the ND.

Bottom line: does the government believe that cohabitation and marriage are the same thing? Does he not know that the cohabitation agreement is about legal issues for same-sex couples, while marriage is about procreation, i.e. children, mother and father? On the procedure: Antonis Samaras as Prime Minister never urged, nor indicated to his MPs to “abstain”. And as president of the New Democracy, he absolutely respected the “question of conscience” raised by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during the election of Prokopis Pavlopoulos as President of the Republic. Therefore, let the government representative be more careful and realize that the political opponent of the New Democracy is SYRIZA and not Antonis Samaras!”.

However, government sources refrained from continuing, commenting that “We have nothing to add to this discussion” while stressing that there was no attack on the former prime minister. The internal party confrontation

refrained from commenting on the number of blue-collar executives who were asked on Piraeus Street, after the MPs were informed about the bill for same-sex couples, preferring to the majority of them the freedom of opinion and its formulation by all ND executives, let alone by a former prime minister .