Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary debates on the Tempi train disaster, Greek opposition parties have intensified their criticism of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
This follows record-breaking protests on Friday, where an estimated hundreds of thousands of people gathered across the country on the two-year anniversary of the 2023 Tempi train disaster—which claimed 57 lives—to demand justice and accountability.
Center-left party PASOK accused Mitsotakis of avoiding responsibility for the country’s systemic failures. “The Prime Minister remains unrepentant despite the magnificent protest rallies of the Greek people,” their statement read. The party described his government as one of nepotism, cronyism, and disregard for justice, while criticizing its slow response to railway safety concerns.
Left party SYRIZA’s response was even harsher, calling Mitsotakis’ remarks “a monument to audacity, apathy, and hypocrisy.” The party accused him of orchestrating police action to suppress protests and of feigning concern over railway safety only after mounting public outrage. “The magnificent presence of the Greek people in dozens of cities showed him and his government the way—resignation,” the statement concluded.
On Friday the leader of SYRIZA splinter party Nea Aristera (New Left), Alexis Charitsis called on PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to resign. “Today is a historic day for our democracy. The sovereign people have spoken—peacefully and in unprecedented numbers. They have expressed a vote of no confidence in the delegitimized Mitsotakis government,” Charitsis stated.
“Mr. Mitsotakis, you must immediately order an end to the crackdown and withdraw police forces. And then, you must resign,” he concluded.
In a social media post on Sunday, Mitsotakis acknowledged the massive demonstrations and called for trust in the judicial investigation. “I appeal again [for us] to trust it and allow it to do its work unbiasedly,” he wrote, emphasizing that justice should not be influenced by political pressure.
An off-the-agenda debate into the Tempi rail disaster will be held in Parliament on March 5.
