Greece’s main opposition parties are set to submit a censure motion against the government on Wednesday, following widespread protests over the handling of the 2023 train disaster that claimed 57 lives. The motion comes days after hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets to mark the second anniversary of the crash, demanding justice for the victims and accountability from the government.
Protests Highlight Public Anger Over Lack of Accountability
The protests, some of the largest in Greece in years, underscored public frustration with the government’s perceived failure to address critical safety gaps and its alleged attempts to cover up evidence related to the crash. Opposition leaders have accused the government of shirking responsibility and losing its popular mandate. Nikos Androulakis, leader of the Socialist PASOK party, stated during a parliamentary debate, “Today, we will submit a censure motion to let the political system breathe.”
Government Denies Wrongdoing Amid Political Tensions
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s centre-right government, which holds 156 seats in the 300-seat parliament, is expected to survive the censure motion.
Addressing parliament earlier on Wednesday, Mitsotakis warned that the opposition’s allegations threaten political stability during a turbulent global climate.
“It would be fatal if stability in Greece was threatened at this point,” he said, pledging to complete the railway’s overhaul by 2027 and hire a foreign company to manage its maintenance.
Judicial Investigation and Calls for Transparency
A judicial investigation into the crash is expected to conclude later this year. Meanwhile, relatives of the victims have lambasted the government for not initiating a parliamentary inquiry into political responsibility. They allege that authorities attempted to cover up evidence by laying gravel at the crash site shortly after the incident—a claim dismissed by former state minister Christos Triantopoulos, who resigned to support a parliamentary probe.
The Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA), established after the crash, recently reported that the disaster resulted from chronic safety shortfalls that remain unaddressed. Christos Papadimitriou, head of HARSIA’s rail division, told Kathimerini that authorities’ ignorance and lack of experience likely contributed to the loss of critical evidence from the scene.
