Skourletis

The office of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday that it has accepted the resignation of Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas over last week's fatal fires in Attica.

Toskas repeated the offer to resign he made last week as the state of emergency that had been declared has expired, the premier's office said. 

As a political debate about who was responsible for last week's fatal wildfires raged, Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis, his alternate Sokratis Famellos and Interior Minister Panos Skourletis heralded a government plan for the demolition of hundreds of properties that have been illegally built on forestland and coastal areas such as those ravaged by the blazes.

A legislative amendment submitted in Parliament on Wednesday stipulates the financial relief that will go towards victims of last week's catastrophic wildfires in Attica.

Next year's local elections will take place in May instead of October, to coincide with the European elections, after Interior Minister Panos Skourletis accepted an amendment submitted by 16 SYRIZA MPs to the so-called Kleisthenis 1 bill, aimed at overhauling the governance of local authorities.

The government on Friday effectively rejected a proposal by conservative New Democracy to amend voting laws so that Greeks living overseas can participate in general elections. 

Interior Minister Panos Skourletis submitted an amendment to Parliament calling for a committee to be formed that is to examine the issue within the next six months. 

The government has effectively rejected a proposal by opposition New Democracy to amend voting laws so that Greeks living overseas can participate in general elections.

The prospects for a breakthrough in talks between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the latter's name are unclear as although FYROM's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev expressed optimism over the weekend, technical-level discussions between the two sides have been ridden with obstacles. 

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on Saturday expressed optimism for a potential deal on the long-standing name dispute between Athens and Skopje amid technical-level discussions.

The story of the so-called "digital levy" (the new 2-6 percent tax on cell phones, tablets, computers etc) has highlighted the complete lack of any official strategy to help the digital technology sector to grow.

The discussion about the leftist-led government's proposed changes to Greek electoral laws have resurfaced following the submission of draft legislation last weekend for public debate.