ATHENS, March 5: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed Wednesday to fight a censure motion over the country's worst train tragedy, accusing the opposition of peddling "nightmarish" lies about the accident.
"I have an obligation to keep the country steady and safe in this uncertain climate," the conservative leader, in power since 2019, told parliament as his lawmakers delivered a standing ovation.
Opposition parties are expected to table the motion later Wednesday, accusing the government of having tried to cover up the causes of the 2023 accident in which 57 people died.
Mitsotakis' ruling New Democracy party has 156 lawmakers in the 300-seat chamber, enough to survive the censure motion.
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The rail disaster happened on February 28, 2023, when a train from Athens to Thessaloniki carrying more than 350 passengers collided with a freight train near the central city of Larissa.
The two trains had travelled towards each other on the same track for miles without triggering any alarms. The accident was blamed on faulty equipment and human error.
Over 40 people have been prosecuted, including the local station master responsible for routing the trains, but a trial into the accident is not expected before the end of the year.
Opinion polls show a large majority of Greeks believe the government has attempted to cover up evidence into the tragedy.
On Tuesday, parliament voted to launch an investigation into whether a senior official dispatched by Mitsotakis to the scene after the accident authorised the bulldozing of the crash site, leading to the loss of vital evidence.
The official, Christos Triantopoulos, resigned on Tuesday. He denies any wrongdoing and says he was overseeing relief efforts.
Hundreds of thousands turned out at protest rallies nationwide during a general strike on Friday, the second anniversary of the tragedy, to demand justice for the victims, in one of the largest mobilisations recorded in Greece.
Another protest will be held Wednesday.
A previous parliamentary committee investigating the tragedy concluded last March without assigning blame to senior politicians.
Critics noted that the committee, which was headed by a ruling party MP, had not interviewed key witnesses including Triantopoulos.
