A censure motion against the Greek government tabled by the opposition over a wiretap scandal in which top officials were targeted by state intelligence was defeated in a vote on Friday, with 156 votes against and 143 in favour.
Speaking in the Parliament ahead of the vote, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended the legality of the wiretaps undertaken by the national intelligence service (EYP), after the opposition leader Alexis Tsipras described him as a "danger to the nation" for his role in the case that has rattled his administration.
Mitsotakis admitted once again that the surveillance of Nikos Androulakis, leader of the socialist PASOK party, was "politically not acceptable", adding that any "murky case will be investigated by judicial authorities".
Mitsotakis questioned the circumstances under which the opposition leader had received information over the wiretappings from the chief of the state privacy watchdog ADAE, and said that SYRIZA seeks political confrontation due to lack of pragmatic policy proposals ahead of elections later in 2023.
"You can neither talk about the future, nor about the past which is still haunting you," he said.
Tsipras had earlier accused Mitsotakis of personally ordering a series of wiretaps targeting senior politicians and military officers among others.
"You knew very well that the surveillance had occurred, and you knew very well that the surveillance had occurred because you had ordered it, Mr Mitsotakis," Tsipras said.
"Your stance might have become a joke, but this joke is dangerous for democracy and for the nation," he said.
A total of 299 MPs participated in the roll-call vote following a three-day discussion.
