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Two MPs gave up their official cars and additional remunerations

13 July 2011 / 16:07:12  GRReporter
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Unprecedented for the average Greek MP was the act of two deputies, who said that they give up their official cars and additional remunerations to their monthly salaries, which they take for their participation in various commissions.

The first is Kyriakos Mitsotakis from New Democracy, who is in charge of environment protection and climate change. He is known as the new generation of the right-wing party that is progressive and reformist set. He comes from a family of strong activity in the political life of modern Greece, given that his father Konstantinos Mitsotakis is the former New Democracy leader and prime minister between 1990 and 1993. The sister of the young Mitsotakis, Dora Bakoyannis, is a former foreign minister and now the leader of the newly formed Democratic Alliance. Bakoyannis formed a new party late last year after she seceded from New Democracy, because she opposed the right-wing politics and supported the Memorandum of financial aid in May 2010.

The second deputy, who decided to give a good personal example in a period of severe cuts, is Hara Kefalidou. She is of much more modest political lineage and was elected with the ballot of PASOK in the region of northern Greece, Drama. Kefalidou informed the chairman of the National Assembly Filippos Petsalnikos that she would return her official car. In addition, she stated that she would like her additional remuneration for her participation in various commissions to be redirected from her personal account to the account of "National solidarity".

This account was created last year at the very idea of Petsalnikos as a "cash box" in which the government and citizens would accumulate funds to help the country emerge from the crisis. Most Greek analysts reported this action as a cheap propaganda trick of the government at a time when Papandreou began to cut pensions and wages. It is not clear today how much money was collected in the "National solidarity" account and which gap in the Greek budget it could fill, but the account exists.

Meanwhile, the Parliament adopted another Filippos Petsalnikos’ proposal, namely to reduce by 50% the payment of those lawmakers who take part in working commissionst, Vima reported. Now, instead of 300 euro per meeting of special commissions the Greek MPs will receive only 150 euro. The news has not touched the wide public opinion, as the Greek political elite expected, but at least it is taken as a step in the right direction, made "better late than never."

Tags: PoliticsDeputiesGreeceSalariesAddtional remunerationsOfficial cars
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