Mini cabinet reshuffle announced, key posts unchanged
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed a new citizen protection minister on Wednesday, following a mini cabinet reshuffle in a bid to bolster the conservative administration’s security agenda.
Minister for Citizen Protection Giannis Oikonomou was ousted from government, following an increase in violence at sporting events. A 31-year old police officer died last week following an injury by a flare in clashes that broke out during a volleyball match in December. This followed the murder of a 29-year old football fan in August during clashes between supporters of local team AEK and Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb.
The New Democracy government, which was re-elected in July, enjoys a comfortable majority of eight seats in the country’s 300-seat parliament. No changes were made in the key ministries of foreign affairs, finance and defense.
A senior government official said the changes were “corrective moves to enhance the government’s effectiveness.”
Michalis Chrysohoidis was moved from the Health Ministry to the Civil Protection Ministry. He has held the civil protection post several times in the past two decades, including during the first term of the New Democracy government. He was serving at the same post when Greece dismantled November 17, Greece’s most deadly guerrilla group, in 2002.
Adonis Georgiadis was moved from the Labor to the Health Ministry. He held this position in 2013 and 2014, during Greece’s bailout era. Domna Michailidou, who was deputy education minister, will be replacing Georgiadis.
Additionally, Andreas Nikolakopoulos took over as Deputy Citizen Protection Minister and Ioanna Lytrivi as Deputy Education Minister.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis was promoted to Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, with additional responsibility for communication.
The newly appointed cabinet members will be sworn in at 6 p.m. Thursday in the presence of President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
The announcement of the reshuffle offers a clear path for the voting of critical legislation. Later this month, Greece’s parliament will vote on a legislation introducing postal voting in European elections and a bill on non-state universities will follow in early February. The government has said it seeks the appropriate timing to introduce legislation on same-sex marriage, even though a number of its MPs oppose this.
