Parl't rejects opposition proposal for debate on referendum on PPC selloff

Parliament's summer session on Friday rejected proposals by Greek opposition parties for a debate on a referendum about the partial privatization of the Public Power Corporation.

Christos Markoyiannakis, who was presiding over the session, said the proposals had not garnered the support of a minimum of 120 MPs and so could not be approved.

His announcement came after all lawmakers of the coalition parties, New Democracy and PASOK, rejected the proposal. Democratic Left (DIMAR) and Golden Dawn attended the session but not the vote. Both the discussion and the vote were boycotted by the main leftist opposition SYRIZA, which made the original proposal for a referendum debate, and by Independent Greeks and the Communist Party (KKE).

SYRIZA dismissed Friday's debate as a "parody" and a "deeply undemocratic constitutional aberration."

The support of a minimum of 120 MPs is necessary for ParliamentÂ’s plenary session, now in summer recess, to be recalled and a debate to begin. It was doubtful that KKE would agree to sign a common proposal with other parties. Without KKE, the number of MPs backing a debate on a plebiscite would be 127, which is adequate but would oblige other parties to cooperate with the neofascist GD which is the subject of a criminal investigation.

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