Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffled the Greek government on Friday, after his New Democracy party won fewer votes than expected in the European Parliament elections that took place on Sunday.
Although the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance was not replaced, a new minister is now in charge of the Ministry of Development, and the former Minister of Interior has been transferred to head the Ministry of Labor. The former Defense Minister was given the immigration portfolio, which, according to analysts, can be assessed as a shift in the direction of a more right-wing policy.
Photo: EPA/Alexandros Vlachos
Although the New Democracy Party, which has governed Greece since 2019, won the largest number of votes in the European Parliament elections, its turnout of 28.3 percent was lower than the 33 percent that Mikotakis had set as a target, and well below the 40-member result. percent achieved in last June's elections. Parliamentary elections.
Only 39 percent of Greek voters cast their ballots for European Parliament candidates on Sunday.
Wages in Greece are still below the EU average. The Prime Minister attributed the high percentage of “protest votes” to the high cost of living. He promised that his government would do everything in its power within the budget to stop the rise in food prices, but he ruled out reducing the sales tax. He also announced that employer contributions to social security would be reduced in order to employ more people and reduce unemployment, which is currently double the EU average.
According to polls, Greeks consider inflation to be one of the most serious problems, so replacing the Development Minister with Mitsotakis was an inevitable corrective step, as political analyst Apostolos Pistolas believes.
(MTI)
