Τhe new members of the Cabinet were sworn in on Sunday after Friday’s late evening reshuffle, a more-or-less expected political development in the Greek capital amid an increasingly tenuous period for the leftist Tsipras coalition government.
The sheer size of Greece’s Cabinet, which now number 42 ministers, alternate ministers and deputies ministers, is noteworthy, along with the fact that a handful of hard left cadres were left out or shifted to other portfolios. Additionally, the pivotal labor and social security ministry was entrusted to a 31-year-old attorney, Efi Ahtsioglou, who served as the previous minister’s aide and mostly participated in party-affiliated activity since graduating law school.
Ahtsioglou was elected to Parliament on leftist SYRIZA’s state deputies’ list, meaning she was did not stand against other candidates in an election precinct, but was placed on a list of candidates by the party’s leadership.
Given that labor market reforms and liberalization is one of the dominant topics in ongoing negotiations between the Greek side and institutional creditors to conclude a second review of the Greek program (third bailout) this month, the change in the ministry’s leadership was viewed as unexpected.
Speaking directly on the issue of labor relations in front of his new Cabinet, Tsipras on Sunday said the government believes that growth must “be based on a solid foundation and not in an obliteration of the labor sector”. Tsipras said conclusion of the second review was imperative to boost employment, with discussion to begin afterwards on debt sustainability.
“Economic recovery will help us heal the wounds; for growth to be continuous and fair it (growth) must stand on a solid foundation, and should not be based on an obliteration of the labor sector; it must be based on high-quality and well-paid labor,” he said, without going into details on how this will be achieved.
Moreover, he appeared confident that ongoing negotiations will be completed on scheduled, in order for a Eurogroup meeting in early December to discuss Greek debt relief.
In echoing Tsipras’ statements, government deputy premier Yannis Dragassakis, who kept his position in the Cabinet, also appeared optimistic that short-term debt relief measures will be announced before the end of the year. He also precluded the possibility of an “ecumenical” government emerging, employing a more radical phraseology in saying that “particularly amid the current conditions that would permanently negate every effort to overturn the old (political) establishment.”
His comments were carried in the Sunday weekly Realnews.
A main opposition New Democracy (ND) party spokesman was distinctly less complimentary of the new Cabinet composition and the government’s prospects, in general, taking to Twitter to refer to “the first Cabinet meeting of the last SYRIZA government.”
Spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos made the statement.
