With 159 votes (158 of the ND MPs and the vote of the independent MP Haris Katsivardas) the bill to strengthen the public university and the operation of non-state universities in our country was voted in favor, after a three-day discussion process characterized by objections.

129 MPs voted against the bill11 were “present”, while a total of 299 legislators voted.

The majority of the provisions of the draft law on the strengthening of regional public universities were passed by a wide majority.

It is noted that the completion of the vote was delayedas the president of Freedom of Navigation Zoe Konstantopoulou he thoroughly examined the bill, reading one by one the 205 provisions, together with the party’s MPs Tzortzia Kefala and Eleni Karageorgopoulou in order to make the final decision.

“Great historical change”

“We are debating a bill that has historical characteristics. I glean too quickly. Voting is by roll call on the articles. Do we have every opportunity to show whether you will vote against the articles that are a proposal of the chancellors? Here is Rhodes… We invite you to adopt them. It was a proposal of the chancellors. A discussion, a demand of decades, today is becoming a reality” said earlier Kyriakos Pierrakakis in his closing statement before the roll-call vote on the bill began.

“After decades of discussion this great historical change becomes the law of the state. I invite you to vote for it all together” noted the Minister of Education. “To those who do not support it today I will say the following: We have nothing to fear, you have nothing to fear and the onus is on us to convince you,” he said.

What you propose for HEIs is not a Scandinavian model, it is a Scandinavian crossword”

Earlier, Mr Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took the floor after the speeches of Sokratis Famellos and Nikos Androulakis to initially respond to the personal attackswhich, as he said, he received from him president of SYRIZA.

Addressing Nikos Androulakis, Mr. Mitsotakis said: “We cannot follow you with your Ovidian transformations and pirouettes. What you are proposing is not a Scandinavian model, it is a Scandinavian crossword puzzle.’

He also added: “By raising your voice and being so angryyou’re sending the message that your arguments aren’t that strong.”

The prime minister emphasized: “We move within the limits of the Constitution because the Constitution is a living text which is also adapted to the texts of the European legislation, and that is why we are not talking about the establishment of a university, we are only talking about the establishment in Greece of branches of universities that exist abroad”.

He added that our intention is to proceed with the change of Article 16 and added: “Do you promise to revise Article 16? Don’t come and tell us again I don’t like the wording, something sours me…”

The attitude of the opposition

The establishment of non-state/non-profit branches of foreign HEIs voted by the governing majority is an imitation of reform that does not provide a comprehensive answer to the impasses facing public education in our country at all levels“, said Nikos Androulakis, beginning his speech in the Parliament, categorically stating that PASOK-Movement of Change will not vote on principle for this pseudo-labeled reform, but will support whatever articles it considers to be in the direction of supporting the public University.

Series of questions about with the bill for non-state universities, the president of the SYRIZA PS Committee, Sokratis Famellos, argued that it will be for-profit private universities. He first asked what had changed since 2019 when the prime minister was saying that a revision of the Constitution was required to become private universities “and now you are proceeding unconstitutionally with the establishment of private universities?”.

Tension again triggered in the Parliament the position of the general secretary of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoubawho insisted on yesterday’s reports of sugar daddies and female student sponsors. The general secretary of the KKE went up to the floor of the Parliament this morning for the anniversary report in honor of Women’s Day having the Parliamentary Group of the KKE in its seats.

“We consider the title of the bill to be hypocritical. The intention of the current government, your intention, Mr. Mitsotakis, is not to strengthen the public university, but to weaken it”, said the president of the Spartans in Parliament. Vasilis Stigasduring the debate in Parliament on the bill “Strengthening the Public University – Framework for the operation of non-profit branches of foreign universities”.

First build public education, public universities, and then private ones for your rich friends”, said the president of Hellenic Solution in the Parliament, noting that the government legislates “for the children of rich friends”. “The problem in education is structural” and “starts at the lowest levels” said Mr Kyriakos Velopoulos stressing that the Greek Solution cannot tolerate the creation of a Turkish university in Greece.

Speaking to the Plenary, the president of Niki expressed his opposition to the draft law under discussion on the framework for the operation of non-profit branches of foreign universities. Dimitris Natsios. The president of Niki argued that the bill violates Article 16 of the Constitution.

The New Left will not only vote against today’s bill, but is also committed to that will not accept fait accompli and that it will activate all institutional and social counterweights to protect the Constitution and the defense of the public university”, emphasized Alexis Haritsis, speaking to the Parliament about non-state universities. The president of the New Left accused the government of inviting the national delegation to violate the Constitution and underlined that “a new progressive majority will abolish this law”.