Government denies claim that SYRIZA leader had been offered ministerial seat

The government refuted claims that main opposition SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis was offered a ministerial seat in the ruling New Democracy party as “science fiction.”

Earlier on Friday Kasselakis’ chief of staff Manolis Kapnisakis said in an interview that SYRIZA leader had been approached by former deputy foreign minister Antonis Diamataris, at the behest of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, offering a ministerial position to Kasselakis.

Kasselakis, who became SYRIZA leader this autumn after recently moving to Greece, was at the time still living in the United States. Diamataris is also a member of the Greek diaspora.

According to Kapnisakis, the SYRIZA president was allegedly offered a ministerial seat in the first cabinet of Mitsotakis, formed in July of 2019, which he denied.

“It’s not even a distortion of reality, it’s a figment of Mr Kapnisakis’ imagination; and by extension Mr Kasselakis as well,” government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said in an interview with SKAI radio on Friday.

Diamataris also denied it as “absolutely false” in a post on social media platform X.