ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered a cabinet reshuffle Friday as his conservative government works to address declining public approval over a deadly 2023 rail disaster and a rise in support for far-right parties.
In a nod to traditional conservatives, Makis Voridis, a politician with a far-right background, was named as the new migration minister — a high-profile appointment as the governing party battles a loss of support to fringe rightist parties.
Other notable changes include moving a popular former minister of digital governance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, to the helm of the finance ministry. Pierrakakis, 42, is seen as a rising star in the governing New Democracy party and a political centrist.
The cabinet reorganization came a day after veteran conservative lawmaker Constantine Tassoulas was sworn in as Greece’s new president. Tassoulas replaced Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who was the first woman to hold the office, in the largely ceremonial position.
Mitsotakis, despite his strong lead in opinion polls over a fractured opposition, is struggling to restore public confidence after the 2023 train collision that killed 57 people and sparked widespread protests over perceived government accountability failures.
Mitsotakis’ center-right New Democracy party has seen its approval ratings slide in recent weeks as the government continues to grapple with the disaster’s political fallout.
Despite his mainstream policies on the economy and Europe, Mitsotakis has taken a tough line on migration since taking over in 2019. His government extended a wall along the Greek-Turkish border and introduced controversial interception policies for boats carrying migrants from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands — actions that were politically popular and reflect a hardening of attitudes among many European governments. The 60-year-old Voridis, was a prominent member of far-right and nationalist political groups and parties before joining New Democracy in 2012. He has held several senior cabinet positions, and will now be tasked to redouble government efforts to seek direct funding from the European Union for the ongoing border wall extension. The outgoing finance minister, Kostis Hadtzidakis, was named as a new deputy prime minister. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Defense Minister Nikos Dendias held their positions along with several other ministers in key government posts. The new government ministers will be sworn in on Saturday.
