Parliament president denounces procedure followed for prior actions bill in letters to PM, President

In her letter, she referred to a "violent attack on democracy" and said this could not be allowed to happen in the framework of the European Union, and especially not in silence.

She asked both the prime minister and the president to inform their respective counterparts in Europe about the violations that had taken place, adding that she would also inform her own counterparts in Europe.

Konstantopoulou especially emphasised the fact that the 977-page draft legislation tabled at midnight on July 20 introduced more than 1,008 articles on the code of civil procedure and 130 related to the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD) as two single articles, preventing any modification or even time to read them properly, and passing legislation that made major changes to justice and citizens' rights under "conditions of open blackmail".

Ministers were being forced to bring legislation that they disagreed with so it could be passed by MPs that also disagreed with its contents, under direct threat of disorderly default, she said.

Konstantopoulou also pointed out that the same legislation dated back to the previous government and that bar associations throughout the country held votes that rejected it by percentages exceeding 93 pct in December 2014.

The fact that the particular legislation had been selected by the eurosummit governments as a 'prior action' to start talks on a Greek bailout "reflects the depths of these foreign governments' contempt for the principles of parliamentary function, popular rule and finally democracy," she said.