Tsipras accuses PM of contempt over lack of parliamentary debate on Baltakos

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has written to parliamentary speaker Evangelos Meimarakis to demand that the House discuss the role of former cabinet secretary Panayiotis Baltakos.

Baltakos resigned at the beginning of April after footage emerged of him in a secret conversation with Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris. At the time, the government had promised to discuss the matter the following week in Parliament. However, this debate has not been held.

In his letter Tsipras reminded Meimarakis that 25 days have passed and there has been no attempt to fulfil SYRIZA’s request. He also pointed out that since 2012, only one of the leftist party’s five requests for parliamentary debates has been fulfilled and that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has not answered any of the 15 questions put to him by Tsipras.

“Such provocative and anti-democratic behaviour, such contempt for democracy and Parliament has not been seen before,” said the SYRIZA leader.

Tsipras called on Meimarakis to fulfil his “institutional role” and set a date for the debate before Parliament goes into recess for the local and European Parliament elections towards the end of May.