Greek government faces a vote of no confidence tonight amid mass protests

The final day of discussions began at 9:00 AM, with speeches from MPs and party representatives. This will be followed by addresses from party leaders, with the PM making the final remarks. The vote is scheduled for 9:00 PM and will be conducted electronically. To pass, the motion requires 151 votes in favour.

Heated debate over leaked email

During Thursday’s debate, PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis criticised the government of dishonesty, citing a leaked email published in ESTIA newspaper. The email allegedly sent by Deputy Minister to the PM at the time of the Tempe train disaster Christos Triantopoulos suggests a meeting that took place with government officials regarding the clean-up and restoration of the train accident site. The email reportedly instructed regional authorities to calculate costs and expedite funding.

Androulakis challenged the PM to present the email in Parliament, calling the government “hypocritical and arrogant” and accusing it of treating the state as its own political prize.

“You lied then, and you are lying now, even after everything that has happened in recent weeks. Lies on top of a tragedy that has shaken Greece.”

Opposition parties accused the government of attempting to cover up the affair and called for the release of related communications.

Government’s response: “Every vote against us undermines justice”

Minister of Labour and Social Security Niki Kerameus dismissed the motion as an attempt to “bypass and undermine justice” and cast doubt on Greece’s progress.

Meanwhile, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis defended the police response to recent protests, blaming violence on “hooligans, criminals, and anarchists.”

Chrysochoidis accused protesters of spreading misinformation, including using old or foreign videos to falsely portray Greek police brutality.

“Why would the police provoke violence? Just to satisfy conspiracy theorists? This kind of fake news spreads through bots and online propaganda,” he said, adding that any allegations should be addressed by prosecutors.

Opposition MPs criticised the government’s handling of demonstrations. The Greek Communist Party’s Nikos Karathanasopoulos accused the police of deliberately trapping protesters in Syntagma Square before using tear gas. New Left MP Nasos Iliopoulos said, “The phrase ‘spray them so they leave’—does that ring a bell? To you, protesters are nothing more than cockroaches.”

Protests over Tempe disaster continue

Meanwhile, new protests demanding accountability for the Tempe train disaster have been organised for Friday, 7 March. Demonstrations will take place at midday in across Greece, led by student unions and educators.

In the evening, at 7:00 PM, trade unions and labour federations will hold another rally outside Parliament in Syntagma Square, coinciding with the no confidence vote and speeches by the PM and opposition leaders. Protesters are calling for full political and legal accountability and an end to what they see as a government cover-up.

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