Greek Opposition shuns president

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 11

Greek Opposition shuns president

NZPA-Reuter Athens The new President of Greece, Christos Sartzetakis, met the country’s leaders and foreign diplomats yesterday but the conservative opposition, which refuses to recognise his election, stayed away. The Prime Minister, Dr Andreas Papandreou, his Cabinet, the Speaker of Parliament and ambassadors were the first to call on Mr Sartzetakis to offer their congratulations on his election. Mr Sartzetakis, a former Supreme Court judge, was elected with 180 Socialist and Communist votes, the minimum number needed under the Constitution. But the main opposition party, New Democracy, has challenged the validity of the election. New Democracy said the

Speaker, loannis Alevras, who cast the decisive vote, was not eligible to vote because he was the acting president after the resignation of Constantine Karamanlis on March 10. None of New Democracy’s 112 deputies, who also boycotted the swearingin ceremony of Mr Sartzetakis, went to the presidential mansion to congratulate him. The party’s leader, Mr Constantine Mitsotakis, third in line in the State hierarchy according to the Constitution, has vowed that he will not meet the president until an election is proclaimed. This has sparked a constitutional crisis. . Mr Mitsotakis says his party will mobilise the people to press for the only democratic solution of the crisis which was am immediate national election.

“Our ultimate goal is to restore political normality and constitutional order in the country,” he said. Dr Papandreou criticised Mr Mitsotakis for his refusal to recognise the President and said that “only a group of anarchists and not a responsible political party could adopt such a stand.” He said that Mr Mitsotakis could ask the President for an early election. “Elections can be speeded up if national issues call for such a move. Mitsotakis can invoke such issues to the President,” Dr Papandreou said. Elections are due by next October. Commentators said it was unlikely that Mr Mitsotakis would ask Mr Sartzetakis for an early election as this would be a de facto recognition of the president. So far his call for an election has been directed to Dr Papandreou.