Greek Parliament speaker refers New Democracy MP Dimitris Kyriazidis to ethics committee over plenary remarks about Zoe Konstantopoulou
Parliament speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis sent the case to the Ethics Committee after Kyriazidis' remarks against Plefsis Eleftherias leader Zoe Konstantopoulou during a plenary session on 28 July 2026, triggering unanimous party backlash.
Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Nikitas Kaklamanis referred New Democracy MP Dimitris Kyriazidis to the Ethics Committee on 28 July 2026, hours after Kyriazidis made remarks during a plenary session against Zoe Konstantopoulou, the president of the Plefsis Eleftherias party. Kaklamanis forwarded the official parliamentary minutes to committee chairman Giorgos Georgantas, asking the body to determine whether the MP had engaged in anti-parliamentary behaviour.
Tension was provoked, due to a member of the Hellenic Parliament, which damages the prestige of the parliamentary institution.
Reaction across the chamber
The incident drew an immediate and unanimous reaction from all political parties in the parliament. Opposition groups condemned the remarks as incompatible with the decorum expected of elected members. The governing New Democracy, however, was confronted with an internal split. Several reports noted that the party presented two different lines in the immediate aftermath, with some senior figures distancing themselves from Kyriazidis and others avoiding public comment.
Internal fault line inside New Democracy
The fissure within the ruling party became evident when Speaker Kaklamanis, a veteran New Democracy politician, took the lead in referring the matter to the Ethics Committee. His decision indicated that the speaker viewed the incident as a breach grave enough to override partisan loyalty. No official statement from New Democracy's leadership had been issued by the time the referral was announced in the late afternoon.
What the Ethics Committee will examine
The Ethics Committee, chaired by Georgantas, will now scrutinise the verbatim record of the plenary session to establish whether Kyriazidis' words breached the parliamentary code of conduct. If the committee rules that anti-parliamentary behaviour occurred, it can recommend consequences. The committee's decision will be based solely on the transcribed proceedings. Kyriazidis has not yet commented publicly on the referral and no hearing date has been set.
