To fill the vacancies created by the death of Deputy Minister for Spatial Planning at the Environment Ministry Nikos Tagaras and the transfer of Konstantinos Kyranakis from alternate transport minister to secretary of New Democracy’s Central Committee, Kyriakos Mitsotakis carried out a reshuffle yesterday.
The late deputy minister was replaced by his fellow local MP from Corinthia, Marinella Soukouli-Vilali, while the vacancy at the Transport Ministry was filled by Deputy Minister of National Economy Giorgos Kotsiras. His post was taken by Dimitris Markopoulos, an MP for Piraeus B and parliamentary spokesperson for New Democracy.
Despite the ultimately limited scope of the changes made by the prime minister, they are not without political significance, according to an analysis by the newspaper To Vima.
MP Tasos Chatzivasileiou is returning to the government as deputy foreign minister, after having resigned over the OPEKEPE affair but later being cleared of all charges.
Along these lines, the assignment of a leading role at New Democracy headquarters on Pireos Street to Kyranakis, a younger-generation party figure with a right-leaning profile, is being interpreted in view of the upcoming election contest.
A similar interpretation is being given to the use of the also right-leaning Dimitris Markopoulos, who until recently was considered close to former prime minister Antonis Samaras.
Both moves indicate that the Maximos Mansion is taking into account developments surrounding the highly likely creation of a new party by Mr Samaras, and is preparing to confront such a possibility by deploying in the election campaign figures who had previously aligned themselves with the former prime minister.
Sources: Το Vima, Euronews
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