Greek opposition to boycott parliament over wiretap scandal

Greece’s main opposition party says it won’t participate in parliamentary votes until a general election is held later this year

In response to the suspected eavesdropping of high-ranking officials by the state intelligence service, Greece’s major opposition party declared on Tuesday that it won’t take part in parliamentary voting until a general election is held later this year.

Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the left-leaning Syriza party and the opposition leader, said to reporters, “We will not recognise the legislative work of a government that is obviously… departing from democracy.”

Allegations that journalists and politicians have been the targets of authorised wiretaps, as well as spyware from unknown sources, have sparked legal enquiries and roiled Greek politics ahead of a summer election.

On Tuesday, Tsipras demanded that parliament be promptly dissolved in order to hold elections in three weeks. The cabinet swiftly rejected this proposal.