After three days of hard deliberation between center-right New Democracy, center-left PASOK and the leftist Democratic Left, a new government has been formed. The new government will be tested almost immediately as, in the weeks to come, it will have to work out a new deal with the Troika but at the same time show that it is keeping its word on fiscal measures, privatization and expenditure cuts.
There are a total of no fewer than thirty-nine ministers, alternate ministers and deputy ministers in the new coalition government. Twenty-six were sworn in for the first time while thirteen have had previous experience in a ministerial position. The agreed 'convergence program' will soon be published, forming the basis for deliberation between the new government's National Negotiation Team and the Troika.
There has been a reshuffling of the Ministries themselves as the Ministries of Education, Culture and Athletics as well as the Ministries of Development and Infrastructure have merged. Three new Ministries have been created – or rather, reinstated. They are the Ministries of Tourism, Maritime Affairs and Macedonia-Thrace.
The new coalition government is, for the most part, a center-right New Democracy government with a sprinkling of members from PASOK and the Democratic Left. New Democracy ministers include:
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos
Minister of Defense, Panos Panagiotopoulos
Minister of the Interior, Evripidis Stylianidis
Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni
Minister of Health, Andreas Lykourentzos
Minister of Citizen Protection, Nikos Dendias
Minister of Development and Infrastructure, Kostis Hatzidakis
Minister of Education, Culture and Athletics, Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos
Minister of Labour, Giannis Broutsis
Minister of Macedonia Thrace, Theodoros Karaoglou
Minister of Maritime Affairs, Kostas Mousouroulis
Five PASOK choices from both inside and outside of parliament are to be found in the new government. They are:
The Minister of the Environment, Evangelos Livieratos,
The Minister of Agriculture, Athanasios Tsaftaris.
Deputy Foreign Affairs, Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas
Deputy Defense Minister, Dimitris Elefsiniotis
Deputy Maritime Affairs Minister, George Vernicos
The Democratic Left is taking part with four members - two Ministers and two Deputy Ministers. They are:
· The Minister of Justice, Antonis Roupakiotis
· The Minister of Administrational Reform, Antonis Maniatakis
· Deputy Minister of Education, Theodora Papatheodorou
· Deputy Minister of Health, Fotini Skopouli
Regarding the all-important Ministry of Finance, it is being headed by a PASOK choice - the Chairman of the National Bank of Greece, Vasilis Rapanos. At his side are Deputy Ministers Christos Staikouras (ND) and George Mavragianis (non-parliamentarian).
Dimitris Stamatis, a close aide of ND president and now Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has been appointed as a Minister without Portfolio, while Simos Kedikoglou (ND) is the new Government Spokesman. Vaggelis Meimarakis (ND) will be proposed for speaker of parliament.
The established media in Greece is skeptical concerning the new government. The Left-wing pro-SYRIZA Avgi newspaper of course doubts that this “sum of nationalists and 'Memorandumists'” can prevent a “national decline”. It also casts doubt on the new governments' ability to bring Greece back on equal terms within the Eurozone, to proceed with measures that will ease the needy, and to govern ethically.
The center-left Vima newspaper explains the importance for a concise convergence program with no 'grey zones' that may hinder the new governments' coherence and bargaining ability.
The center-left Ta Nea in its main article expressed relief that a new government was formed in only four days and that it is characterized by a spirit of cooperation. It wonders though what the level of participation for Democratic Left president Kouvelis and PASOK president Venizelos will be. It also wonders how the National Negotiation Team will be created and organized, as well as how the three parliamentary caucuses will be called to work together.
The conservative and pro-government Eleftheros Typos is optimistic, with todays front page article outlining the “First Battle” which the new coalition government will be called to fight. This will include a freeze on lower wages, public sector reform and a lower VAT to stimulate the economy.
On the other hand, the also conservative Kathimerini newspaper isn't mincing any words. It states in its main article that the new Samaras government should not let people down. It calls on the new government to prevent itself from acquiring the odor of “old-school and petty political compromises and balances”. It points out that the Greek people want a government that will not cave in to pressure “from party mechanisms that attempt to control a collapsing government of a bankrupt country”. Later in the day, two top columnists expressed marked skepticism concerning the new coalition's ability to learn from the mistakes of the past and to rid itself from internal political pressures.
It seems that few people are giving the new coalition the benefit of the doubt. Gone are the days when newly formed governments were given a period of adjustment during which they were exempt from criticism by friends and foes alike. The new Greek 'coalition of the willing' will now have to batten down the hatches, lower the mizzenmast and sail Greece out of the perfect storm. They will have to succeed— failure in not an option.
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