ATHENS – They have no chance, but rival parties to the ruling New Democracy put a No Confidence measure on the floor, mostly over the government’s handling of the 2023 Tempe train tragedy that killed 57 people.

The Conservatives have 108 seats in the 300-member body and can easily defeat the vote but accepted it, knowing that, and with political parties jockeying for position ahead of June elections for the European Parliament.

The vote also gives the government’s opponents a chance to make loud public complaints and for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, due to speak, to refute any criticism, the No Confidence vote being a sideshow.

The motion was tabled by the PASOK Socialists, and backed by New Democracy’s major rival SYRIZA, the New Left, KKE Communists and the nationalist Greek Solution, the debate set to be a clash of ideologies and political grandstanding.

It’s due to be voted on sometime during the night of March 28 unless it goes into the early morning hours of the next day but is a foregone conclusion, such measures brought from time to time so rivals to whatever party is in power can take shots at them.

Mitsotakis’ administration came under fire and a report in To Vima that audio tapes between the stationmaster and driver of one of the two trains that collided head-on had been tampered with, which the government denied.

There will be other issues debated in what’s anticipated to be a bitter venting against the government and opportunity for parties to restate their own stances and make complaints about what they believe should be done.

The opposition also cited “rule of law” alleged misdoings, the government monitoring the phones of 15,745 people – including journalists, ministers, military leaders and business leaders – sidelined by the train tragedy.

Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said, “This government has the courage to check things, to do the necessary self-control, to look at the issues that arise with vigor, with courage and boldness, and, when necessary, with self-criticism.”

Former transport minister Kostas Karamanlis, who quit after the tragedy but blamed others said that, “I have not hidden and I will not hide behind any form of immunity for lawmakers,” but didn’t ask for that protection to be lifted.

He said rivals were using the tragedy and that it “is becoming an object of political exploitation,” and faulted a previous SYRIZA administration for not implementing signal safety measures on the trains although he didn’t either.