ND insists it is in favor of citizenship for Greek Jews

New Democracy denied on Saturday that it failed to vote in favor of an amendment tabled by coalition MPs that grants citizenship to the descendants of Greek Jews who did not return to Greece after World War II.

The conservatives were recorded as voting “present,” equivalent to abstaining, during last week’s ballot, prompting a rebuke from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

“This decision carries strong symbolism at a time when the far-right is on the rise in Europe," he said. “Nobody is surprised that Golden Dawn voted against it but New Democracy should be ashamed of its hypocritical stance.”

The conservatives issued a statement accusing the government of propaganda. New Democracy also insisted that during the debate on the amendment, its parliamentary representative, Yiannis Kefaloyiannis, had indicated the party’s support for the amendment but that its position was recorded incorrectly.