Open fronts on all matters put off Tsipras cabinet reshuffle

Crucial issues put pressure on Greek PM decisions

With Greece’s lenders taking a harsh stance in talks that commenced this week on the second review of the Greek program, and a sentiment of discontent brewing under the surface within the ruling SYRIZA party, despite Alexis Tsipras’s convincing re-election as president the party over the weekend, the Greek PM is reconsidering his decision for a government reshuffling. Tsipras has a number of open fronts to deal with before rearranging his cabinet, a move that was expected to occur at the start of this week, with the final verdict on the TV licences by the Supreme Court being on the top. Meanwhile, negotiations with the country’s creditors have stalled, with a number of disagreements arising, the most serious one being the institutions’ doubts on the reliability of the Greek government’s budget draft for 2017. Furthermore, the impression that the lenders have demanded the sidelining of Energy Minister Panos Skourletis, who along with the “53+” group have openly disputed the policies of the Greek government on privatisations, have lead Tsipras to be considering putting off any moves to reshuffle his cabinet until next week.