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Opposition says Council of State’s decision on TV licenses a ‘defeat’ for gov’t

Opposition says Council of State’s decision on TV licenses a ‘defeat’ for gov’t

A verdict by the country’s highest administrative court on Wednesday night overturning a recent tender of broadcasting licenses is a “dire political defeat” for the leftist-led government, opposition New Democracy said on Thursday.

The Council of State’s ruling, conservative spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos told Antenna TV, was “a slap in the face” for the government of Alexis Tsipras and a “resounding failure” that underscores the “need for elections.”

The main opposition’s representative also defined the government’s reaction to the ruling as “deeply undemocratic and anti-institutional.”

“Mr Pappas should resign and Tsipras should acknowledge his mistake,” the head of centrist To Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, said on Thursday morning in response to the ruling, referring to State Minister Nikos Pappas who was responsible for drafting and implementing the TV license law.

“You are not exercising politics when after one mistake you make another, even bigger one,” Theodorakis said in a Twitter post, in response to the government’s reaction to the Council of State’s verdict, which deemed the licensing process unconstitutional by a majority of 14 to 11.

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