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Greece: Kyriakos Mitsotakis government launches its first projects

The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won the legislative elections last week. Since then, he keeps saying that he intends to get to work quickly. Several bills could be tabled as early as this summer.

The leader of the conservative New Democracy Party is working his image as a conscientious prime minister. During a first visit to the Ministry of Education, he insisted on punctuality. On the other hand, he recently said that he intended to strictly enforce the smoking ban in the ministries. In recent days, he has repeatedly said that the Greek Parliament will not close this summer as it usually does. The deputies will have a week of holidays from August 10th. Not one more day

The new Prime Minister intends to focus on security and education

A bill could be tabled as early as July 23, according to a government source. It would concern the reform of the Penal Code, that of local governance as well as the abolition of the law on the sanctuary of Greek universities which forbids the police to enter it. A little later should follow the tax cuts promised by Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his election campaign, including a relief for businesses. A law to facilitate investment is also envisaged in the coming months. A largely neoliberal program therefore. Stella Ladi, assistant professor at the Pantheon University of Athens reminds that on the tax cuts " the government will have to obtain the agreement of creditors of the country ", but the Eurogroup last Monday has already been an opportunity to recall to the new government that it will have to " respect its commitments ".

► See also: Legislative in Greece: the conservatives crush Tsipras

New Democracy Prepared for His Arrival in Power

For the political analyst Giorgos Sefertzis, this is the first time that a Greek party arrives with bills already tied. He points out that 21 out of 51 government members are technocrats. Stella Ladi, said that the party " knew since the European elections already that it would come out winner of the legislative elections, which allowed him to prepare ". At the end of May, the New Democracy had, indeed, obtained 9 points more than the left party Syriza then in power. She added that some ministers, such as Minister of Education Niki Kerameos, were also " already responsible for their portfolios within the party ". The New Democracy had therefore built, according to her, a kind of shadow cabinet , government of the shadow, on the English model.

The government is therefore targeting its electorate, the middle class, with economic reforms. What about human rights?

One of the big changes of this government is the removal of the immigration department. It was created by the left Syriza party while Greece was at the heart of the migration crisis . Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose to reinstate these issues in the Ministry of Citizen Protection. For Stella Ladi, this shows that he treats them " from the point of view of safety ". The presence of two former members of the Greek far right within the government worries, even if the president of the New Democracy is considered one of the moderate voices of this traditional conservative party.

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