Greek cabinet reshuffle as prime minister seeks to quell discontent

In a meeting with the newly appointed ministers, the prime minister emphasized that the primary goal of the reshuffle was to focus on "renewal and action."

The newly appointed members of Greece's new cabinet were sworn in on Saturday during a ceremony at the presidential palace, following a government reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday.

In a meeting with the newly appointed ministers, the prime minister emphasized that the primary goal of the reshuffle was to focus on "renewal and action."

Mitsotakis named new finance and transport ministers and handed other key portfolios to younger officials. The reshuffle, the second since the center-right government won re-election in 2023, comes weeks after hundreds of thousands took to the streets demanding justice over Greece's worst ever rail disaster in February 2023, in which 57 people died, most of them students.

It was Greece's biggest protest in years and has shaken Mitsotakis' government, which has slipped in the opinion polls – though it survived a parliamentary vote of no confidence last week over the crash.

The new finance minister is Kyriakos Pierrakakis, a 42-year-old former computer scientist who has spearheaded the digitisation of many state services in his previous role as digital governance minister.

He replaces Kostis Hatzidakis, who now becomes deputy prime minister charged with coordinating economic growth policies as Greece seeks to extend its rebound from a 2009-2018 debt crisis which prompted deep cuts in wages and pensions.

New Transport Minister Christos Dimas, 44, will supervise an overhaul of Greece's railways. The government promised to modernize the railway network after the crash, but the safety gaps that caused the accident have not been tackled two years on, a state inquiry found last month.

Mitsotakis also picked Stavros Papastavrou and Nikos Tsafos, both close aides and experienced technocrats, for the environment and energy portfolios as Greece hopes to make its economy greener while also looking for gas reserves on its territory.

Discontent and confusion

At the ceremony, Mitsotakis acknowledged the discontent but said he hoped the reshuffle would draw a line under it.

"There was a period during which public life became engulfed in a cloud of confusion," he said. "I believe it is a cloud that we have a duty to disperse with swift steps forward, rediscovering our clear horizon and reconnecting our initiatives with the clear mandate given to us by the Greek people in the summer of 2023. 

"The message of yesterday's reshuffle is twofold: renewal and action until the completion of our term. Let me remind you that we have 25 months ahead of us to improve the lives of citizens. This can only be achieved through big changes and bold reforms. Because our government always prefers the cost of moving towards progress over the cost of stagnation, our slogan can only be: faster and bolder."

However, political analysts doubted whether the reshuffle would stem popular anger towards Mitsotakis and his government, although the next parliamentary election is not scheduled until 2027.

"It is uncertain whether such changes would alter people's perception of the government or make it more effective," political analyst Costas Panagopoulos said.