Thanos Plevris had been anticipating his return to the government since the reshuffle a few months ago. After the 2023 elections, he had returned to the parliamentary benches of the New Democracy party, carrying a heavy burden in the parliamentary debates. But a few months ago, the long-awaited phone call did not happen and he continued with the duties of the ND parliamentary representative, with several direct confrontations especially with Zoe Konstantopoulou.

This morning Kyriakos Mitsotakis went to his office in the Maximou Mansion, deciding to close any loose ends that had opened up in the government after the departure of Makis Voridis and three deputy ministers due to the OPEKEPE case. The Plevris case had been the main option on the government staff’s table since Friday night and was finalised today, with him receiving a phone call at noon. According to government officials, his selection to the post of Immigration Minister is merely a change of face and not a change of direction in this fragmented portfolio. And Makis Voridis’ placement at Thevon Street a few months ago was a signal shift to a tougher immigration policy, as was evident from the initiatives he took in the few months he was at the helm of the ministry. For the government staff, the goal is to continue on this path.

The faces of the deputy ministers also do not signal major changes, but the choices are of internal party interest and also indicate a persistence in the strategy of utilizing members of parliament of the younger generation. Haris Theocharis returns to the government after leaving the Ministry of Finance and while running for the position of Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization. Running a good campaign he came second, but did not take the job and returned to national politics. It should be noted that he is another minister elected in the southern sector of B Athens.

Yannis Andrianos, former director of the press office at the Maximos building under Kostas Karamanlis, becomes deputy minister for the second time, having served as deputy minister of education and sports in the Samaras government. An MP of Karamanian origin, but low-key and coming from Argolida, a right-wing and agrarian law.

As for Christos Dermendzopoulos, who takes over as Deputy Minister of Digital Governance with the main responsibility for the land registry, his placement was almost predictable. He is in his forties, coming from the younger generation of blue MPs, and he came first in the prefecture of Evros in the 2023 elections. In the first government of Mitsotakis’ second term, his name was almost a lock for the position of deputy minister of defence, but in the end there was a carom and Nikos Chardalias remained there at the time. Two years later he too found his way into the government.

With this in mind, the cabinet on Monday will meet with full composition, as the swearing-in of the new ministers will take place in the morning of the same day at the Presidential Palace. At the same time, there will also be some minor hiccups in the ND parliamentary group, as Thanos Plevris will have to be replaced as the first parliamentary representative.