In such a framework, New Democracy MP Prokopis Pavlopoulos is expected to take over from Dimitris Avramopoulos as the new president of the committee that is preparing a series of constitutional reform proposals. The relevant list of proposals is then set to be completed by mid December, so that the relevant Reform Committee can be formed in Parliament.
The proposals by the conservatives are indeed impressive and make perfect sense. Our hats off to those who drafted them, however we expect that they will also include the right of the Diaspora to vote in national elections. This is something HellasFrappe has lobbied about for about a decade now and we expect it to also be considered in the upcoming revision.
Also, we expect the opposition parties to at least agree to 90 percent of these proposals because they make perfect sense. It is time to erase the mistakes of the past and allow Greece to march towards a new era with dignity.
Here are a few proposals by ND that are already circulating in the press:
The direct election of a President of the Republic by the people
(We 100 percent approve of this proposal because the President should be elected by the people and only serve the people. Legislators should have a separate role. However, we expect that the president will also have a set of powers -example: France's Hollande, Russia's Putin-, unlike the present President who is more of a robot than an actual political entity.)
A stable electoral system that is going to require extensive majorities in Parliament to change
(This is a great proposal that will bring stability, and encourage investment)
A more agile government cabinet, with three permanent deputy ministers with a five-year tenure, for Foreign Affairs, National Defense and the Budget
(This is a great proposal, but let us hope that national policies are also adopted and will not again alter with each government change)
Reforming legislation regarding the criminal liability of ministers
Restricting parliamentary immunity
(This is a MANDATORY proposal and will reduce -to a large degree- political corruption)
Increasing transparency in the finances of political parties
(Another great proposal, but how realistic is it when the coalition government owes hundreds of millions already?)
Abolishing a number of parliamentary benefits
(This proposal should have been applied yesterday)
The formation and/or establishment of a Constitutional Court
(Another great proposal which will continue to align our Constitution to that of the western world)
The formation and/or establishment of a special department in the State Council so that major cases involving public contracts and private investments can quickly be resolved
(This proposal is necessary as well, but when committees take over get set for more corruption - committee members can be easily bought out for the right price)
Setting a time limit towards the tenure of the Prime Minister,
Regional Governors, Mayors and even union leaders
(HellasFrappe especially liked this proposal)
Reducing the number of parliamentary MPs
Increasing the legislative and auditing duties of MPs
Reevaluating article 16 so that private universities can operate
(We also 100 percent approve of this proposal as well, because we believe that it can create lots of jobs, and opportunities for the Greek people. Also, it is a great way to increase awareness over Greek national issues -since most of the students that will attend these institutions will be foreigners and they will live and work in Greece-. It is also a great way to import more qualified and well educated foreigners to Greece, as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of foreigners who have entered Greece illegally over the past few years and who are both uneducated and unqualified.)
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