The Greek Parliament will hold its second vote on proposed constitutional revisions on Wednesday, September 16, following a decision by the assembly's Conference of Presidents.
The scheduling comes after an initial vote held last July in which opposition parties rejected every constitutional proposal put forward by the government.
During that first ballot, lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party voted in favour of the measures alongside several independent deputies. The main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement, known as PASOK, chose to declare present on selected articles that it considered in need of revision.
Under the Greek constitutional framework, revising fundamental laws requires a multi-stage procedure across consecutive parliamentary terms. The Hellenic Parliament, a 300-seat unicameral legislature based in Athens, relies on the Conference of Presidents to set legislative schedules and manage plenary debates.
Voting thresholds and future steps
To pass into law, articles approved during the current parliamentary period must face a third and final vote in the next revision Parliament. In that final ballot, the proposed articles must secure the approval of at least 180 lawmakers to be officially amended.
In addition to setting the revision timetable, the Conference of Presidents scheduled a plenary debate for Thursday, September 17, regarding requests to lift parliamentary immunity for two sitting deputies.
The first immunity request involves Zoe Konstantopoulou, president of the Course of Freedom party. Her case stems from a civil lawsuit filed against her for slanderous defamation by journalist Petros Kousoulos.
Within the Parliamentary Ethics Committee, only members of New Democracy voted in favour of removing her immunity. Konstantopoulou, a lawyer and former speaker of parliament, leads Course of Freedom, a left-wing political party represented in the assembly.
Immunity requests and legal proceedings
The second immunity request targets Dimitris Avramopoulos, a New Democracy lawmaker and former European commissioner. His case relates to the Qatargate investigation, with the Parliamentary Ethics Committee issuing a unanimous recommendation to lift his immunity.
Avramopoulos actively requested the removal of his protection in a written memorandum submitted to the committee. He stated that he did not wish to use his parliamentary status as a means of avoiding judicial investigation.
He added that he had no connection to the illegal acts described in the European arrest warrant and maintained that he had never participated directly or indirectly in any illegal activity.
Avramopoulos previously served as the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, as well as holding several ministerial roles in previous Greek governments. The Qatargate case involves a broad European judicial investigation into allegations of corruption and illicit political influence.
