Reuters — Greece unveiled plans on Monday to revise its constitution. There are formal proposals for a clearer distinction between the state and the Orthodox Church, changes in how the president is elected and for setting a limit to the length of terms of MPs.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the proposals were aimed at transforming a system full of “pathogens”, and public feedback would be sought from September before the plans are put to parliament for further consultation.
“We aspire to see a process of active participation of citizens, and not something which is restricted within four walls of parliament,” Tsipras told state officials during a presentation.
Under the proposals, the president – now a ceremonial role – would be elected in a national vote if there were a lack of consensus among members of parliament, who currently pick the head of state.
There could also be a “moderate” increase in the powers of the country’s president on issues such as having the right to refer legislation to experts for legal ruling, Tsipras said.
Lawmakers would be restricted to two consecutive terms or eight years in office, a new court would be formed to rule on the legality of legislation, and there would be the conditional abolition of parliamentary immunity.
Tsipras, who, along with many in his cabinet, eschewed the tradition of taking a religious oath when he was sworn in, said the role of the Church in Greece was an “exceptionally sensitive issue“.
“I think establishing religious neutrality of the state is a mature demand, maintaining for historical and practical reasons the role of Orthodoxy as the prevailing religion, Tsipras said.
Constitutional reforms have been a rallying cry of Tsipras’s government since his left-wing Syriza party swept to power in early 2015 on a tide of anti-austerity sentiment by a public suffering from years of standards of living reductions.
Other initiatives would be to allow referendums related to “national issues” – but not to fiscal matters – Tsipras said.
