Ruling New Democracy (ND) party on Tuesday formally submitted to Parliament a proposal for a constitutional revision, launching the first stage of a process that is expected to extend beyond the current legislative term and require a broad consensus in the 300-MP legislature.
The proposal, signed by at least 50 lawmakers, will be announced in Parliament, distributed to deputies and referred to a constitutional revision committee to be established by the president of Parliament. Political parties will be invited to appoint representatives in proportion to their parliamentary strength, while the plenary will determine the committee’s timetable and any extensions to its mandate.
Under Article 110 of the Greek constitution, the need for revision must be approved in two separate parliamentary votes held at least one month apart. A three-fifths majority, or 180 lawmakers, is required to secure the strongest mandate for the next parliament, which will ultimately draft and adopt the revised provisions. Opposition parties have signaled in recent months that they intend to preserve that higher threshold, ensuring that the final text cannot be approved without broad cross-party support.
The ruling party’s package builds on proposals unveiled by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in May after months of consultations within the party’s parliamentary group. The plan envisages revisions to roughly 30 constitutional provisions covering six broad areas, including judicial reform, ministerial accountability, public administration, democratic participation, climate protection, higher education and the constitutional treatment of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
The last constitutional revision was completed in 2019. It severed the link between the election of the president of the republic and the dissolution of parliament, facilitated voting by Greeks abroad, strengthened the rights of the parliamentary minority to establish investigative committees, amended provisions governing the liability of ministers and parliamentary immunity, and introduced a framework for citizens’ legislative initiatives.
The current initiative follows months of debate over institutional reform. Reporting over the past year highlighted the government’s intention to pursue what it described as a “comprehensive” revision agenda, including changes aimed at modernizing state institutions, strengthening governance safeguards and addressing challenges posed by technological and environmental developments.
