Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reshuffled his cabinet late on Friday, removing ministers who have expressed opposition to the austerity measures and economic measures demanded by Greece’s international creditors, but retaining his ministers of finance and foreign affairs.
The dramatic changes made in what critics have described as a “Troika-friendly” cabinet are seen as a bid to speed up reforms that Athens has committed to under its latest international bailout deal, as well as to bolster the government’s flagging popularity.
Notably, energy minister Panos Skourletis, who opposed the privatization of Greece’s electric power system, was replaced by the more moderate economy minister, Giorgos Stathakis, while labor minister Giorgos Katrougalos, faulted for the slowness of his efforts to reform Greece’s bloated pension scheme, and education and religious affairs minister Nikos Filis, who had had repeated clashes with Archbishop Ieronymos on a range of issues, were also removed. Key aide Dimitris Liakos, who oversaw the prime minister’s economic office, was tapped to supervise the enforcement of Greece’s bailout program.
Other cabinet members who retained their ministries included defense minister Panos Kammenos, foreign minister Nikos Kotzias, tourism minister Elena Kountoura and Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas.
The new cabinet, as officially announced on Friday evening at 22:00 by government spokesperson Olga Gerovasili, is as follows:
Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras
Alternate Prime Minister: Dimitrios Liakos
State Ministers: Alexandros Flambouraris & Christoforos Vernardakis
Government Spokesperson: Dimitrios Tzanakopoulos
Vice President: Ioannis Dragasakis
Ministry of Interior Affairs
Minister: Panagiotis Skourletis
Deputy Minister of Citizens Protection: Nikolaos Toskas
Deputy Minister of Macedonia-Thrace: Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha
Ministry of Finance & Development
Minister: Dimitris Papadimitriou
Deputy Minister: Alexandros Charitsis
Deputy Minister: Stelios Pirtsiolas
Ministry of Digital Policy, Telecommunication & Information
Minister: Nikolaos Pappas
Ministry of National Defence
Minister: Panos Kammenos
Deputy Minister: Dimitris Vitsas
Ministry of Education, Research & Religious Affairs
Minister: Konstantinos Gavroglou
Deputy Research Minister: Konstantinos Fotakis
Deputy: Dimitris Baxevanakis
Deputy: Konstantinos Zouraris
Ministry of Labor, Social Security & Social Solidarity
Minister: Efi Achtsioglou
Alternative Minister for Unemployment: Ourania Andonopoulou
Alternative Minister for Social Solidarity: Theano Fotiou
Deputy Minister for Social Security: Anastasios Petropoulos
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Minister: Nikolaos Kotzias
Alternative Minister for European Affairs: Giorgos Katrougalos
Deputy Minister: Ioannis Amantidis
Deputy Minister for Greeks of the Diaspora: Terence Spencer Quick
Ministry of Justice, Transparency & Human Rights
Minister: Stavros Kontonis
Deputy Minister:Dimitris Papangelopoulos
Ministry of Finance
Minister: Euclid Tsakalotos
Deputy Minister: George Chouliarakis
Deputy Minister: Katerina Papanatsiou
Ministry of Health
Minister: Andreas Xanthos
Deputy: Pavlos Polakis
Ministry of Restructure & Administration
Minister: Olga Gerovasili
Ministry of Culture & Sports
Minister: Lydia Koniordou
Deputy Sports Minister: George Vasileiadis
Ministry of the Environment & Energy
Minister: George Stathakis
Deputy Minister: Socrates Famelos
Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport
Minister: Christos Sprintzis
Deputy Minister: Nikolaos Mavrogiannis
Ministry of Migration Policy
Minister: Ioannis Mouzalas
Deputy Minister: Ioannis Balafas
Ministry of Shipping & Island Policy
Minister: Panagiotis Kouroumblis
Deputy Minister: Nektarios Santorinios
Ministry of Agricultural Development & Food
Minister: Evangelos Apostolou
Alternate Minister: Ioannis Tsironis
Deputy Minister: Vasilios Kokkalis
Ministry of Tourism
Minister: Elena Koundoura
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place today at 13:00.
