Makarios Lazaridis has submitted his resignation from the post of Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, following the uproar caused over his degree, in combination with his appointment as a scientific associate at the Ministry of Education in 2007.

His resignation had appeared increasingly inevitable in recent hours. The final blow came from Dora Bakoyannis through her morning statements on Mega, where she noted that Lazaridis should facilitate the prime minister and the party with his stance.

Admittedly, the government tried from the beginning of the week to politically shield the long-time close associate of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. However, he did not help himself, with the peak being the interview he gave on Easter Tuesday on Open TV. Given the escalating reactions, the heavy climate within New Democracy, and his own effective acknowledgment of irregularity in his Thursday statement—where he asked to return unduly received funds—the outcome became inevitable. This morning, a close associate of the prime minister contacted Makarios Lazaridis, they discussed the situation, and agreed that his resignation would be a de-escalatory move aimed at protecting the government and the party.

However, until yesterday Lazaridis did not appear willing to resign. He had normally participated in a meeting with producers from Lesvos regarding foot-and-mouth disease and had even been assigned responsibilities for the following week by the Minister of Rural Development, Margaritis Schinas. His replacement, according to government sources, will be appointed in due course, likely from Monday onwards.

In his statement, Mr. Lazaridis said:

“Throughout my personal life I have acted with honesty and lived with dignity alongside my family, which I will not allow anyone to tarnish.

With the same values, I have conducted myself in politics, always with my head held high. I fought battles, inside and outside Parliament, with New Democracy, with steadfast dedication to the principles and values I serve.

The citizens of Kavala honored me with their trust and elected me twice as a Member of Parliament in my home region, which is for me the highest honor and a great responsibility.

I am proud of the battles fought alongside Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis both during the difficult years in opposition and during the governance of the country.

I served with consistency and a sense of duty, contributing, to the best of my abilities, to the effort for a strong and modern Greece.

From the very beginning of my public life, I chose transparency. I publicly disclosed my financial declaration (‘pothen esches’) before the 2019 elections, even though I was not obliged to do so, proving in practice that I never feared scrutiny but, on the contrary, sought it.

Throughout this period, I responded with arguments and political dignity to the attacks of a toxic opposition, which, faltering, seeks ways to survive electorally by investing in mudslinging and slander over an issue that occurred almost 20 years ago.

However, with the aim of ensuring the uninterrupted work of the Government and the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, I hereby submit my resignation from the position of Deputy Minister.

This decision in no way diminishes my belief in the principles I have served and will continue to serve.

I sincerely thank the Prime Minister for his trust and all those who stood by me throughout this journey.”