‘Duo’ to lead new Civil Protection ministry, official says

The new Civil Protection Ministry will be led by a “duo” that will meet “both political and operational criteria,” a government official said on Monday, ahead of the announcement of the new picks selected by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The ministry has remained headless since former Defense Minister in the Syriza government and retired Admiral, Evangelos Apostolakis, turned the job down last week, just hours before he was expected to be sworn in and following a limited cabinet reshuffle.

“A choice has been made by the prime minister with the basic criterion being the ability to deal with a very complex issue which is civil protection in times of climate crisis,” Akis Skertsos, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, told a television channel.

The new appointment will be announced by Yiannis Oikonomou at 11.30 a.m.