The political landscape is shifting as Maria Karystianou calls on opposition parties to retract their individual proposals for a preliminary investigative committee and join her initiative instead. The serious accusations from the president of the Tempi Victims’ Association, which include charges as grave as “high treason,” seem to catalyze the formation of a new, varied parliamentary alliance. This coalition includes Zoe Konstantopoulou, Kyriakos Velopoulos, Stefanos Kasselakis, members of the Niki party, and four former Spartans, although the latter ultimately chose not to endorse the proposal submitted to Parliament on Thursday evening.
After nearly two years of leaders from Course of Freedom and Greek Solution advocating similar theories on the causes and victim count of the Tempi train crash, the moment has arrived for united forces and coordinated efforts.
The lingering question is whether Mr. Velopoulos and his allies will achieve the political benefits they hope for or if they will experience the same polling decline faced by recent factions that aligned themselves closely with Ms. Konstantopoulou.
Karystianou’s initiative has disrupted the opportunistic alliance between SYRIZA and the Democracy Movement. Six MPs associated with Stefanos Kasselakis have withdrawn their support from the joint proposal, leaving the Koumoundourou (SYRIZA headquarters) proposal short of the 30 MP minimum required for plenary discussion and voting.
Three proposals targeting 14 former ministers
In light of this new parliamentary situation, the proposals for a preliminary investigative committee from New Democracy (ND) and PASOK remain before the Speaker. By Friday afternoon, June 6, 2025, the “allied” proposal based on Karystianou’s text is anticipated to be submitted with the necessary minimum of 30 signatures.
Official statements indicate that 36 MPs are prepared to endorse Karystianou’s text:
11 from Greek Solution
9 from Niki
6 from Course of Freedom
6 independents associated with Stefanos Kasselakis
4 independent former Spartans (K. Floros, D. Valtogiannis, G. Manousos, I. Dimitrokallis)
It’s noteworthy that ND’s proposal calls for a preliminary investigation solely for former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Kostas Karamanlis.
The PASOK proposal includes Karamanlis, Christos Spirtzis, and six additional deputy ministers from the 2016–2023 period. In total, Karystianou’s proposal targets 11 individuals.
The final discussion on these three proposals is expected to take place in Parliament during the week of July 16–20. Plans include setting up 14 ballot boxes—one for each individual named in the motions for a preliminary investigation. MPs will receive 14 ballots, each featuring the name of a former minister being proposed for referral along with the respective alleged offenses derived from all three proposals.
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