Union of Centrists

Seeking to avoid a head-on collision with Panos Kammenos, the leader of former coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), the government said Thursday it is mulling a change in the rules that will allow the right-wing party to retain its parliamentary group.

Ahead of a no-confidence debate starting in Parliament on Tuesday, independent lawmaker Aristides Fokas announced he is joining the ranks of the Independent Greeks (ANEL).

"We will join the fight with ANEL from now on," he told journalists outside Parliament, standing next to party leader Panos Kammenos.

Fokas was previously an MP with the Union of Centrists.

Ahead of a no-confidence debate starting in Parliament on Tuesday, independent lawmaker Aristides Fokas announced he is joining the ranks of the Independent Greeks (ANEL).

"We will join the fight with ANEL from now on," he told journalists outside Parliament, standing next to party leader Panos Kammenos.

Fokas was previously an MP with the Union of Centrists.

The Greek Parliament's Institutions and Transparency Committee has endorsed the appointment of Vassiliki Thanou, former chief of the Supreme Court, as head of country's independent Competition Commission.

Her appointment was backed by MPs from SYRIZA, Independent Greeks (ANEL), the Union of Centrists and Golden Dawn.

Conservative opposition New Democracy holds a solid lead over ruling leftist SYRIZA, according to a public opinion poll conducted by Metron Analysis for newspaper Ta Nea, published on Saturday.

The parliamentary debate on the revision of the Greek Constitution will start on November 14, according to a decision by the House's conference of presidents o Monday.

On the same day, the parliament will also decide on the deadline by which the Constitutional Revision Committee, the body responsible for examining the government's proposed amendments, will deliver its report.

The Union of Centrists was left with five MPs in Greece's 300-seat Parliament after deputy Aristidis Fokas announced his departure from the party led by Vassilis Leventis.

In a letter submitted to the speaker of the House Wednesday, the Thessaloniki deputy complained about the party's political direction.

Officials from ruling SYRIZA took up 49 percent of airtime on talk shows hosted by Greece's private and public television stations in 2017, National Broadcasting Council (ESR) data show, with state channel ERT giving the leftist party 61.2 percent of its panel time.

Greek parliament on Thursday voted to speed up a process to increase the minimum wage next year - a pledge heralded by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in late August.

An independent lawmaker representing the Central Greece city of Larissa is joining the ranks of the main conservative opposition.

Giorgos Katsiandonis's addition to the ranks of New Democracy will bring the number of the party's lawmakers in the 300-seat House to 77.