Greek Ministers Resign Amid OPEKEPE Scandal

The news in Greek

1. αντιμετωπίζω
   είμαι σε θέση να διαχειριστώ ή να λύσω κάτι δύσκολο ↩︎
2. πολιτικός
   που ανήκει ή σχετίζεται με την διακυβέρνηση και τη διοίκηση ↩︎
3. κρίση  (f.)
   κατάσταση έκτακτης ανάγκης ή δυσκολίας που απαιτεί λύση ↩︎
4. σκάνδαλο  (n.)
   γεγονός που προκαλεί σοκ ή δυσφορία στην κοινή γνώμη ↩︎
5. υπουργός  (m.)
   πρόσωπο που διοικεί ένα τμήμα της κυβέρνησης ↩︎
6. ανακοινώνω
   δημοσιοποιώ κάτι για πρώτη φορά ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Who resigned because of the OPEKEPE scandal?

Question 2: What does the opposition want in response to the scandal?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
αντιμετωπίζω	to face
πολιτικός	political
κρίση  (f.)	crisis
σκάνδαλο  (n.)	scandal
υπουργός  (m.)	minister
ανακοινώνω	to announce

Read the full story

A political storm has engulfed Greece as several government officials have stepped down amid a burgeoning scandal involving the Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid (OPEKEPE). The resignations include prominent figures such as the Minister for Migration and Asylum, Makis Voridis, and three Deputy Ministers.

This political turmoil was ignited by the release of excerpts from a judicial file related to OPEKEPE, prompting immediate resignations. Voridis, a former Minister of Agricultural Development, along with Deputy Ministers Tassos Chatzivasileiou, Dionysis Stamenitis, and Christos Boukoros, submitted their resignations, which were accepted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

In his resignation letter, Voridis stated that his decision was a pre-emptive move to defend his innocence before potential legal inquiries. Voridis mentioned that although he found nothing incriminating against him in the case file, the opposition party, PASOK, intends to initiate a preliminary investigation, which casts doubt over his role.

Deputy Minister Chatzivasileiou clarified that his past communications were unrelated to the fraud under investigation, and emphasized he was striving to assist farmers under permissible grounds. Meanwhile, Boukoros denounced any claims against his involvement and cited political accountability as the reason behind his resignation. Similarly, Stamenitis echoed the sentiment of political integrity as pivotal in his decision to step down.

The opposition parties, PASOK and SYRIZA, have been vocal about the implications of the scandal. PASOK spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas noted that their examination of the extensive case file points to elements warranting deeper scrutiny for potential criminal responsibility.

Moreover, SYRIZA has called for broader political accountability, demanding the resignation of the entire government and immediate elections, criticizing the transactions revealed from leaked communications as epitomizing malpractice and entanglements.

As the Greek political scene faces upheaval, Prime Minister Mitsotakis is expected to announce replacements for the vacant positions after returning from his visit to Chania.

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