Reshuffles in the parliamentary strength of the parties may be triggered by criminal prosecutions for fraud against the electors against the eleven MPs who were elected with the “Spartiates” party, except for its head Vasilis Stiga. The decisive word on this will be the Electoral Court, which has already examined the objections submitted against the participation of the “Spartans” in the national elections of 2023 and also against the election of their deputies.
The two investigations
His decision is expected by June, when the president of the Council of State leaves the judiciary Evangelia Nika, who presided over the court, as did other supreme judges. Although the two processes are moving in parallel, the prosecutor’s order for prosecution reinforces the rationale of the appeals discussed by the Electoral Court, which, if it finds that the “Spartans” were the “cloak” of the imprisoned – and moral perpetrator according to the Arion prosecutor Ice – Ilias Kasidiariswho from prison gave orders and moved the strings and the MPs of the formation maintained contacts and received orders from him, then the way is opened for them to fall from their parliamentary office.
Already two of them (Dimitrokallis and Manusos) became independent, accusing the party’s president, Vassilis Stigas, of “leading his Parliamentary Group with lies and slander” (with his complaints from the floor of the Parliament about “Greek mafia” and “Don Corleone” methods). Thus, the strength of the KO of the “Spartians” now numbers eight deputies (two others had left, the Oriole and Katsivardas), while if the trickle-down continues and they are below five, then the KO is dissolved, losing its parliamentary privileges.
How will seats be paid for?
If the Electoral Court decides that behind the “Spartans”… is the condemned Kasidiaris, “then it is obvious that they will fall”, as the constitutional expert has said Nikos Alivizatos. Thus, the Supreme Special Court will be asked to indicate the way their vacant seats will be paid.
There are three scenarios:
The first: The seats are occupied by the first cross candidates of the parties with the largest undistributed balance in the specific constituency where the deposed member of the “Spartans” was elected.
The second: The percentage of the “Spartans” (4.68%) is shared among the other parties with all that this entails with the carambolas of seats that will result.
The third: Let’s go to repeat elections in the disputed 11 regions where the “Spartans” had been based. It is a difficult puzzle that the Electoral Court will be asked to solve.
It is worth noting that if the Parliament held its fourth session, there would be no reason to fill the vacant seats as the Constitution provides (article 53 par. 2) that “a parliamentary seat that was vacated within the last year of the period is not filled by a substitute election, when required by law, provided that the vacant seats are not more than one-fifth of the total number of deputies”.
“The ‘Spartans’ had to be targeted, in order to disorient public opinion with the criminal prosecution, even in the level of a misdemeanor, against the MPs of the party to create impressions and intimidation” was the reaction of Stiga, who has been directly challenged by the whole of his Parliamentary Group and now declares that he “supports and embraces all the members of the party” which is in danger of annihilation.
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