Minister admits mistake in vote on GD leader’s immunity from trial
Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform Christoforos Vernardakis said that he made a mistake on Wednesday when he voted against Parliament lifting Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos’s immunity in connection to alleged incitement to violence in one of his speeches.
Vernardakis was the only SYRIZA MP to vote against the motion but said that he must have mixed up his votes as there was another ballot on lifting the immunity of Independent Greeks leader and Defense Minister Panos Kammenos for alleged building code violations at his party’s headquarters, which he intended to vote against.
The other five lawmakers who opposed Michaloliakos having his immunity suspended were four from the Union of Centrists and one from New Democracy.
However, a clear majority of 195 lawmakers voted in favor of lifting Michaloliakos’s immunity. Only 21 voted for Kammenos to also forgo his parliamentary protection.
