The were rejected objections of unconstitutionality filed by Hellenic Solution, “Spartiates” and “Nike” in marriage equality bill.

“The objections of unconstitutionality made by the three parties are welcomeas well as the request for a roll call vote. Those who file these objections and these opinions are trying to cause some, in their perception, cracks in the cohesion of the New Democracy. They won’t make it. The cohesion of New Democracy is unbreakable, it has been proven over time, New Democracy is the party that put Greece in Europe, kept it in Europe and has pledged, vis-a-vis the Greek people, to make it even more European. Those who should apologize are those who want Greece to withdraw from Europe and unfortunately, I dare say that the parties that raise these objections belong to this category”said the Minister of State Akis Schertsos.

The Minister of State also commented that there is a common request nominal from “Win” and the “Spartans“. “It is revealing because “Niki”, which presents itself as a party close to religion, which supports meekness, meekness, drags and gives cover to a party which is currently controlled to be a showcase of a criminal”, said Mr. Schertz.

Addressing to Greek solution, the Minister of State commented that the instrumentalization of religion “she is extremely dishonest” and has no place in the Greek Parliament. “Caesar’s Caesar’s, God’s God’s, there is no reason to instrumentalize religion, especially when the leader of the Greek Solution party has spoken and peddled “letters of Jesus”. We must show greater respect to the role of religion, to the independence of religion and not to confuse state issues with theological issues,” said Mr. Skertsos and added: “I heard an appeal to the founder of New Democracy. Konstantinos Karamanlis can be invoked by those who believe that the position of Greece belongs to the West, and only they.”

The Minister of State urged everyone to read the report by the Parliamentary Science Service which “makes a solemn judgment in favor of the constitutionality of the law” and says that the bill implements fundamental constitutional provisions, regarding equality, equality, equality, the rule of law, and Justice. He also pointed out that the report also mentions the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court which, when called upon to judge the cohabitation agreement, the marriages of Tilos, left no doubt as to the constitutionality of the cohabitation agreement and said that it belongs to the discretion of the Greek legislator . A reference is included in the same report and in the decisions of the European Court of Justiceof the Court of Human Rights which enshrine in jurisprudence the same-sex family, same-sex parental rights and the obligation of member states to provide protection to these families.

With this rationale, the Minister of State called on the parties to vote against the objections of unconstitutionality.

The conversation

Any law that would provide for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, argued the representatives of the Hellenic Solution, “Spartiates” and “Nike”, developing the three objections of unconstitutionality that they submitted to the bill that is currently being debated in the Plenary. All three objections were rejected by the majority.

The parliamentary representative of the Hellenic Solution Konstantinos Chitas said that the bill conflicts with religious belief, offends the trinitarian doctrine. Also, that the possibility of marrying people of the same sex violates the institution of the family, guaranteed by the Constitution, as the foundation of the preservation and advancement of the nation. In the context of his intervention, Konstantinos Chitas invited Thanos Pleuris to come to the room to defend the constitutionality of the bill, as a deputy of the coalition but also the “right hand of the prime minister” Makis Voridis, to say whether this bill is unconstitutional or not. “We have nothing to do with people, we have a problem that the law gives the right to have children,” said the parliamentary representative of the Hellenic Solution.

The special buyer of the Spartans Petros Dimitriadis focused on the article of the Constitution on the institution of the family, as an institution for the advancement of the nation that enjoys the protection of the state. “If one studies the minutes of the discussion of the formation of the Constitution, one will see that the drafting legislator clearly considers marriage as a union between persons of different sexes and that marriage is not only a right but is intended for the preservation and advancement of the nation” , said Mr. Dimitriadis and connected the constitutional provision with the necessary union of the two sexes, as a condition, for the birth of children. “For us, the Constitution must protect the Greek nation”, also said the special buyer of “Spartiates”. “We have no problem with people’s sexual choices, we are not homophobic, we want protection of the Constitution, as it mandates the protection of the family,” said I. Kontis, the parliamentary representative of the “Spartiates”.

The special buyer of “Niki” Giorgos Apostolakis said that the Constitution (Article 21) states that the family is the foundation for the promotion and maintenance of the nation, which presupposes the existence of parents of a different gender and is protected by the Constitution. “This marriage enjoys constitutional protection,” said Mr. Apostolakis and invoked the UN pact for the protection of the family and its members from the state and society. The parliamentary representative of “Niki” Spyros Tsironis said that “God is love in truth” and there can be no love in a lie.

Commenting on the objections, ND parliamentary representative Kostas Tsiaras said that they are proposals that present a different point of view with the bill, however, they have no causal connection with the Constitution. In particular, Mr. Tsiaras pointed out the report of the scientific service of the Parliament which ruled on the constitutionality of the bill, but also the European Convention on Human Rights. The ND parliamentary representative wondered what would happen if there was no dynamic interpretation of the Constitution, with the children of single-parent families, who would protect them then?

The president of Freedom of Navigation, Zoe Konstantopoulou, said that the Constitution dictates that Greeks are equal before the law. The bill fulfills the constitutional mandate that all people are equal, have equal rights and discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation is unconstitutional discrimination, said Ms. Konstantopoulou and reminded that the MPs have taken an oath to safeguard of the Constitution. He also underlined that the bill fulfills a constitutional duty of the State, that the State respects the human value and dignity of all people and their right to freely develop their personality. He also pointed to the articles of the Constitution on the protection of private life. He emphatically referred to Spyros Bibila’s speech, for which he commented that it was a speech that reminded that the State cannot prevent people from being happy and children from receiving love from both their parents, and parents of the same sex. “The recognition of equality in marriage is a constitutional fulfillment of the duty that we all have. I invite you to vote against the objection of unconstitutionality”, said Zoe Konstantopoulou.

The special buyer of the New Left Efi Ahtsioglou pointed out that the debate concerns the legal recognition of the legal union of two people. He described as useless the argument that the bill allegedly conflicts with what the Constitution mentions about the ruling religion, because Greece does not have a theocratic regime and the Parliament decides. Also on the same wavelength as the report of the scientific service said that the bill fulfills the constitutional principles of equality and freedom.

The KKE has taken a stand for this whole bill and the serious problems it will bring and the dangerous laws it will introduce, said the parliamentary representative of the KKE Thanasis Pafilis and informed that the party will abstain from the vote.

All three proposals are unfounded, said PASOK-KINAL parliamentary representative Panagiotis Doudonis and commented that they are proposals that most echo the views of the three parties. “It is a proposition that gives a normative principle to the entire Bible. Is the existence of the letters of Jesus a heresy or is it in Orthodoxy?’ commented the parliamentary representative of PASOK, addressing in particular the Greek Solution. He also added that “Spartans” refer to the Constitution but it is a question whether they believe in the Constitution. “At no point does the bill conflict with the Constitution,” said Panagiotis Doudonis and emphasized that on the contrary, what the bill does is that it expands the protection provided by the Constitution to marriage and the family. The PASOK deputy filed in the minutes the public intervention of Makis Voridis in relation to the bill, to show, as he commented, “who has sown the seed of unconstitutionality in the three parties”.

The parliamentary representative of SYRIZA, Theofilos Xanthopoulos, said that the work of the Parliament is not to protect the word and faith of the Church, this is the work of the Church, it is not the object of the legislative function of the Parliament. “The approach of all three proposals is deeply conservative,” said Mr. Xanthopoulos and emphasized that the drafting legislator, intelligently, has not specified a form of marriage. Today we have a bill to enshrine Article 4 of the Constitution, there is the Scientific Service of the Parliament and the CoE that has legislated, said Mr. Xanthopoulos who did not fail to point out that the Minister of State Makis Voridis has publicly raised the issue of constitutionality.