Michalis Bekiris steps aside temporarily from Mitsotakis's parliamentary office

The announcement

Michalis Bekiris announced on Monday, 26 October, that he is temporarily stepping down as director of the Prime Minister's office in Parliament. He said he had informed Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the decision and would stay away from the post until the case has been judicially resolved. In his statement he described a month of what he called an unprecedented campaign of personal targeting against him. He put his decision this way:

“My decision is purely personal. It is neither a retreat nor an acceptance of any charge.”

The questions behind the exit

Reports published before the announcement questioned whether Bekiris holds a university degree and whether a government gazette (FEK) appointment decree exists for his post. Opposition parties disputed his explanation that he has been exercising his duties on a voluntary basis. Bekiris said the allegations against him were lies, slander and insinuations aimed at him and his family. He also said that, in his view, those who are making claims against him should be the ones to prove them.

Opposition reaction

PASOK-Kinima Allagis issued its own statement, noting that Bekiris had never answered whether an appointment FEK exists or whether he holds a degree. The party concluded that, if he was stepping aside, he probably had neither. It addressed the Prime Minister directly with a question about his office:

“One question remains now: will the Prime Minister find another 'volunteer' to be director of his office?”

What he said about the future

Bekiris wrote that leaving the post does not mean abandoning his principles, values or the colleagues he worked with over the years. He also said he would stand by Mitsotakis in the upcoming elections, which he described as a matter of course. On the court case he said:

“We will discuss the rest in court.”

He framed the separation as a personal decision that does not end a long working relationship. The articles do not report any court date or a formal response from the Prime Minister's office to the statement.