Greece: Mitsotakis sworn in after conservative election win
June 26, 2023
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the leader of Greece's center-right New Democracy (ND) party, was formally sworn in as prime minister on Monday after his party secured a landslide victory in general elections a day prior.
It's the second time that Mitsotakis has taken the reins as prime minister, but this time, his conservatives have scored an absolute majority in Greece's parliament — making it one of the strongest center-right parties in the European Union.
Mitsotakis enters office with 'strong mandate'
In a quick turnaround following Sunday's election, Mitsotakis was sworn in during a ceremony in Athens.
"My aim was to secure a stable government with a parliamentary majority. Unfortunately, two elections were needed for that," he said in a televised meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
"I have committed to implement major, deeply-needed reforms over the next four years, [and] have a strong mandate to do that," Mitsotakis added.
His ND party garnered 40.55% of the vote, far outpacing the results of the left-wing opposition Syriza party, which came in at 17.84%.
What is different in the government line-up?
Mitsotakis also announced his new Cabinet on Monday — largely rotating ministers in key posts, but with a few new additions.
George Gerapetritis, a 56-year-old professor of constitutional law and former state minister, is taking on the post of foreign minister — a post that is key, especially in dealing with conflicts that arise with neighboring Turkey.
His popular predecessor in the role, Nikos Dendias, will be the country's new defense minister, overseeing the country's high level of defense spending.
In another shuffle, former Labor Minister Kostas Hatzidakis has now been named finance minister.
The new Cabinet is set to be sworn in on Tuesday.
What are the top issues in Greece?
Mitsotakis campaigned on a platform of encouraging economic growth in the country, as well as cutting taxes and getting the country back on track to creditworthiness after years of facing a financial crisis.
His government, which came to power in 2019, has faced criticism over a number of issues, including a wiretapping scandal, as well as a deadly train crash in February that exposed lagging safety measures in the country's transport system.
Internationally, the focus recently has been on migration, particularly in light of a shipwreck in mid-June off the coast of Greece that left more than 500 people missing and feared dead.
While immigration did not play a large role in pre-election campaigning from ND and Syriza, the issue pulled support for anti-immigration far-right parties — three of which are now poised to enter parliament. One far-left party will also enter parliament.
rs/rc (dpa, AP, Reuters)