Greek parliament rejects no-confidence motion against gov't over Tempi train accident

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Greece’s parliament on Thursday rejected a motion of no confidence against the government over its role in last year’s Tempi train accident that killed 57 people.

The motion was lodged by the opposition PASOK, The New Left, Syriza and Course of Freedom parties.

After a roll-call vote, all 158 lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party and an independent lawmaker voted against it while the 141 lawmakers of the opposition voted in favor.

Addressing the plenary session before the voting took place, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused the opposition parties of turning human suffering into a political tool to attack him and his government.

Contrary to what the opposition has claimed, there has never been an attempt to cover up the details of the incident, he said.

"I tried to explain as best as I could what happened and what we will do to make sure we never have another Tempi again,” he added.

Speaking before him, the president of the main opposition Syriza’s parliament group, Sokratis Famellos, reiterated that the government is not revealing all the facts related to the incident.

As a result, the vast majority of the Greek public lost trust in the government, he added.

Also speaking, Nikos Androulakis, the president of the PASOK party, also accused the government of hiding the truth in relation to the incident.

“In Maximos (Prime Minister’s Office), Mr. Mitsotakis, you are a simple tenant. Greek people will evict you faster than you thought and planned,” he said.

The motion came on Tuesday after allegations by the To Vima daily that recordings regarding the tragic accident were edited to cover up the responsibility of the government.

On Feb. 28, 2023, a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train near the town of Tempi in northern Greece.

The official death toll stands at 57, including many university students and nine traincrew members.