Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras pledged on Monday evening that his party would abolish a ruling PASOK law granting Greek nationality to immigrants and accused the government of introducing “dissolving phenomena in Greek society”.
Addressing an event organised by ND’s section on migration, Samaras said that his party was obliged to change the government’s legislation. “We are obliged to change this law, when New Democracy comes into office. And we are now committing ourselves to do it.”
Referring to his party’s proposal on dealing with the issue, Samaras said: “The children of legal immigrants that are born here, they will be granted nationality at the age of eighteen. But in order to exercise this right they must first chose among Greek nationality and the nationality of the country of origin of their parents and, secondly, they must have completed a nine-year education that is obligatory for Greek children. They will be given the right at the moment of their birth, but they will exercise it at the age of eighteen. With minimum proconditions.”
With the above regulation, Samaras added, “Greece does not become a magnet for immigrants.”
Criticising the PASOK government, the main opposition leader further said: “All those who really see the danger of racism, all those who really want to resist racism, fully understand the importance of a gradual incorporation (of immigrants) through Education and Culture. All those who want mass naturalization of all through ‘automatic procedures’ and without safety valves, do not want incorporation. They simply attract even more illegal immigrants. And they are thus setting off tensions and dissolving phenomena within the Greek society.”
(source: ana-mpa)
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