Greek premier reshuffles Cabinet over party’s dismal EU polls performance

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffled his Cabinet on Friday after his ruling New Democracy party’s underwhelming performance in the recent European elections.

Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, who would continue in his Cabinet role, announced that four ministers and one deputy minister lost their positions.

Accordingly, Development Minister Kostas Skrekas, Labor Minister Domna Michailidou, Rural Development Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis, and Deputy Economy Minister Harry Theoharis will not be part of the new Cabinet.

Interior Minister Niki Kerameos, meanwhile, was reassigned as the new labor minister.

The new ministers will be sworn in Friday at 6 p.m. local time (1500GMT) at the presidential mansion by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The new Cabinet will convene on Saturday morning.

While campaigning, Mitsotakis had said that his conservative party aimed to win at least 33% of the votes in the elections, which lasted four days across the EU but began and ended last Sunday in Greece.

Although the ruling ND party came first in the elections, it won only 28.31% of the votes, a major decline from over 40% in last year's general elections.