Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is promising
"brighter days" after a cabinet reshuffle.
"We have to repair what is going wrong, to change certain
attitudes and take all the action needed to pull the country out of
the long-lasting economic crisis. We have made all the necessary
changes in the cabinet to do this," Tsipras told reporters.
Why has Tsipras done this?
Analysts see it as an attempt to speed up reforms Athens has
agreed to implement under its latest international bailout deal and
to shore up his government’s popularity.
But Tsipras has signalled he will stick with the fiscal course
agreed with the EU and IMF by keeping Finance Minister Euclid
Tsakalotos in his post.
Why now?
Greece wants to wrap up a review on labour reforms and fiscal
issues swiftly in order to qualify for more debt relief.
Athens also wants to be included in the European Central Bank’s
bond-buying programme.
This will help it regain access to the bond market by 2018, when
its current bailout programme expires.
Has the cabinet changed much?
Tsipras switched his ministers around has brought few new faces
to his cabinet.
Dimitris Liakos – responsible for the implementation of Greece’s
bailout programme.
George Stathakis – Energy Minister
Panagiotis Kouroublis – Shipping Minister
Panos Skourletis – Interior Minister
Stergios Pitsiorlas – Deputy Finance Minister
Dimitris Papadimitrou – Economy and Development Minister
Nikos Pappas – Digital Governance and Media Minister
Effie Achtsioglou – Labour Minister
Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas kept his post, along with the
ministers of foreign affairs, defence and tourism.
Tsipras set up stand-alone ministries to handle tourism – the
economy’s key driver – and the crucial issue of migration.
Europe is struggling with its worst migrant crisis in decades
and thousands are stranded in the cash-strapped country.
Tsipras was first elected in January 2015, promising to end
years of austerity.
He reversed course six months later and signed up to a new
ballot, Greece’s third aid programme since the country’s debt
crisis broke out in 2010.
He was re-elected in September last year, but his popularity
ratings have been dropping for months.
His Syriza party has been trailing the conservative New
Democracy party.
Stamatis Giannisis from the Greek language service at Euronews
says: "Prime Minister Tsipras made the decision to shake up his
cabinet in order to boost the flagging popularity of the ruling
SYRIZA party."
"He also wants to convince the country’s creditors that his
administration is committed to economic reforms and therefore,
eligible for talks on debt relief."