Greek centre-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided today to reshuffle the cabinet as his New Democracy party’s free fall in polls continues.
The government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote last week put forward by the opposition over an alleged cover-up of a deadly train crash that killed 57 people, mostly young people.
According to polls, most Greeks believe the government is shielding the politicians responsible for the train crash. With the reshuffle, Mitsotakis is attempting a reset as the parliamentary debate over the crash is expected to escalate.
Background brief: The train accident that could crash Greece’s government
Hundreds of thousands of Greeks are expected to take to the streets across the country…
5 minutes
A right-wing turn
Mitsotakis decided to give the hot seat of transport minister to current Deputy Economy Minister Christos Dimas, who belongs to the new generation of politicians.
He also promoted another young member, Konstantinos Kyranakis, who comes from the party’s conservative wing and is expected to defend the government’s handling of the case in public debates.
Another change in the cabinet is Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who will be the new economy minister. Although coming from a socialist background, Pierrakakis is considered a liberal politician and has high popularity in the government.
Makis Voridis, a hardliner from the party’s right faction, will become the migration minister, a move aimed at stopping voter drift to the right.
Lastly, current Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis is becoming Mitsotakis’ chief of staff and will be responsible for the coordination of the policies. Hatzidakis has a centrist liberal profile and belongs to the hardcore of New Democracy.
Most suitable PM? No one
The train crash’s handling has dealt a heavy political blow to Mitsotakis, and polling suggests that only a coalition government could govern Greece in the future.
However, a fragmented left, combined with the lack of a prominent opposition politician, makes it hard to find a serious challenger to New Democracy.
The polls suggest that the most suitable prime minister is “no one,” followed by Mitsotakis, with socialist PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis trailing far behind.
New Democracy still leads in two recent polls at 25.8-27%. Yet, for the first time since taking power in 2019, the second and third parties combined – the leftist Course of Freedom (15.2%–16.6%) and socialist PASOK (13.1%–13.7%) – exceeds the Conservatives’ share.
Right-wing populist Greek Solution and the Communist party (KKE) are neck and neck for the fourth position (around 10%), while leftist Syriza, the party of former PM Alexis Tsipras, has slumped to 6%.
Konstantopoulou’s rise
The rise of leftist, anti-establishment Course of Freedom has unsettled Greek politics, raising eyebrows in Athens.
The party was established by Zoe Konstantopoulou, who broke away from Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza party in 2016, after she refused to implement the austerity-driven bailout during the country’s economic crisis.
Konstantopoulou is considered a tough politician representing an anti-establishment force. She has been a vocal critic of the government’s handling of the train crash – and it’s paying off in the polls.
Analysts in Athens estimate that only a front of progressive forces could overthrow Mitsotakis’ government. But heavy backstabbing and “friendly fire” between the leftist parties make such a coalition unlikely – at least for now.
For its part, Syriza is struggling to convince PASOK to join forces in the Greek parliament and come up with a joint progressive program ahead of the next elections due in 2027.
Socialist Androulakis insists on the party’s autonomous path despite his falling popularity. The ‘Greek Watergate’ scandal under Mitsotakis’ government, when Greek services bugged Androulakis’ phone, didn’t help his position.
Mitsotakis never explained why Androulakis was under surveillance, ignoring a court order suggesting otherwise.
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