Error in Parliament as bill is passed without majority
The government was pondering on Friday how to correct a mistake in Parliament that saw a bill passed on Thursday even though it had not received the majority of the votes.
The legislation, regarding changes to the police’s regional services, failed to receive the support of coalition partner PASOK as well as opposition MPs. This meant it received 127 “no” votes against 126 “yes” ballots from New Democracy lawmakers.
However, Deputy Parliament Speaker Christos Markoyiannakis insisted that the bill had passed, to complaints from deputies that had opposed the bill.
The error was confirmed on Friday, so the government will have to resubmit the legislation, with Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias either removing the article that riled PASOK MPs or rewriting the provision to ensure the Socialists’ support.
