Railway Tragedy Sparks Political Debate in Greece: Government Survives No-Confidence Vote Amid Allegations of Manipulation

Late on Thursday evening, the Greek Parliament met to vote on a motion of no confidence against the government of conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The motion was rejected by 159 MPs, while 141 parliamentarians voted in favor. As a result, the government under Mitsotakis remains in office.

The focus of the motion was a serious train accident that occurred about a year ago when a freight train collided with an Intercity near the central Greek city of Larisa, resulting in the death of 57 people. The Larisa station manager confessed before the judiciary that he directed the Intercity onto the wrong track. The opposition accused the government of manipulating evidence, particularly leaked radio conversations between the train drivers and a station master that implied the accident was solely due to the station manager’s mistakes.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis admitted that the state bore some responsibility for the accident as the railways’ safety systems functioned inadequately. However, he argued that if only Larissa station manager had done his job correctly, it would not have happened. The judiciary determined this and Larissa station master is currently in custody. The investigation revealed poor conditions of railway network and insufficient safety precautions which caused shock among Greeks as many victims were young students returning from holidays. It is still unclear when this incident will be dealt with in court