By Dora Antoniou

The result of yesterday’s vote in the Parliament on the amendment brought by the government for the monument to the Unknown Soldier, gives the image of unbroken unity within the governing majority: 159 MPs voted in favor of the amendment, as among the 156 of the ND. three independents were added.

However, the two-day debate in the Parliament on the amendment, which the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, took upon himself and undertook to support, was dominated by the attitude of the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias. With emphasis the amendment was affirmed the rift in relations between the government leadership and the Ministry of National Defense and a crisis that has long lurked within the majority. Mr. Dendias, who on Tuesday publicized a different approach, albeit in low tones on the matter, yesterday did not want to pull the rope any further: he gave the “present” in the Parliament and voted in favor of the amendment, something that the Prime Minister had discounted since the morning in the interview he granted on SKAI radio.

However, the matter does not end here. The Ministry of National Defense now has responsibility for the monument and it remains to be seen how he will manage this responsibility in practicein relation to the guidelines already given by Mr. Mitsotakis. “I think what will be interesting looking forward, and as the responsibility has now passed to the Ministry of National Defence, is to see if we can look at this Memorial with a fresh eye. Because, really, what is the problem with this Memorial? That essentially it is not clearly defined where the Monument begins and where, I would say, the public space of the square ends.

Perhaps we can think of some solution for this, which would define with absolute clarity the beginning of the Monument and the end of the square. Because today there are just two steps. It is an idea that I will discuss with the Minister and I think that the Ministry has the possibility, in the context of a wider consultation, to propose solutions and thoughts on how we can really highlight and protect this Monument”.

This is the framework set by the prime minister for the next steps to be taken. In practice it will be seen in what way the Ministry of National Defense will implement these guidelines.

The government is also called upon to manage the reaction ordered by opposition parties to the implementation of the new regulation. How will it be treated? the perspective of dynamic movementswith the aim of effectively canceling the new legislative framework? Balances are difficult.

Alongside all this, with a statement, the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, showed that he maintains a personal front against Mr. Dendias. As he said speaking to parliamentary editors, “the only case that I will not speak in my own amendment is not only in ICU, but also in a coma”a statement that was interpreted as a clear tip for Mr. Dendias’ choice not to stand in Parliament for the amendment in question, which he co-signed.