By Penelope Galliou

The resumption of the debate on the necessity or otherwise of a change in the electoral law by Adonis Georgiadis, rekindled the scenarios and plans on paper about if and when such a possibility could proceed, despite the repeated negative positions of other ministers but also of the prime minister himself.

After all, once again the a government spokesman was quick to shut the matter downstating that “there is no discussion about changing the electoral law. I make it clear.” In fact, he characterized the position of the Minister of Health as personal, referring to “a permanent position (of Mr. Georgiadis) and he did not make any announcement or any proposal”.

For analysts and those who look behind the words, the opinion of a leading ND government official, Mr. Georgiadis, that he is in favor of changing the electoral law because he has always believed in strong governments and wants independent governments, while he himself has been member of two cooperation governments, of Papademos and Samaras-Venizelos, makes the discussion even more interesting, either because he knows the difficulties that governmental cooperation schemes have, or because he sees from the current political conditions that the path of self-reliance is moving further and further away from the Greek political scene, given the graphs that the current polls of the current period give for the ruling party.

Megaro Maximos and Piraeus, however, do not share this reasoning. “And before the May 2023 elections, the ND had 30-31% in opinion polls, and many said it would be good to proceed with the change of the electoral law. This, as you saw, did not happen,” observed party secretary Maria Syregela, speaking to SKAI, adding that she does not consider this discussion “of the present”, referring to the prime minister’s own words.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the umpteenth time in the last year and at the beginning of September during the press conference he granted to TIF said “no” to the change of the economic law, characterizing self-reliance as possible. “The same question (s.s. about changing the electoral system) was also asked of me before the 2023 elections, when many predicted that self-reliance was almost impossible with the existing system. I remember ND to be at 31%-32% and finally it went to 41%. Eventually, self-reliance proved possible. To those who predict that self-reliance with the existing law is an elusive dream, I would recommend patience” he noted, to add: “If in 2027 the ND has implemented what it promised in 2023, it will be a good government and it will deserve the trust of people? My answer is positive. So, wait and see what happens in 2027,” he emphasized, closing the relevant scenarios.

And at the given moment, in the Maximos Palace, they estimate that with the initiatives that the government has undertaken and will continue to undertake – within the framework of its announcements and program – in the near future, the climate will improve and the ND will enter a path of recovery .

Of course, there are always those blue-collar executives who believe that a change in the electoral law, which would ensure independence with a smaller percentage of 35-36%, would constitute an important “cushion” for the country’s political stability and governability.

However, in any scenarios and timelines, one must always take into account the fact that for the changes to the electoral law to take effect from the next election in 2027, they must be approved by 200 MPs*, which seems unlikely, as none of the parties in opposition is not willing to back down to keep the ND in government Unless the project of 2023, of double elections, is repeated, so that the changes in the electoral law take effect in the second elections.

* Article 54: (Electoral system, electoral districts, state deputies)

1. The electoral system and the electoral districts are defined by a law that is valid from the following elections, unless its validity is foreseen immediately from the next elections by an express provision voted by a two-thirds majority of the total number of deputies.