Following the election of Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis as president of the Eurogroup, a reshuffle of the cabinet is practically inevitable.
The new appointments in Brussels begin immediately and are expected to last at least two and a half years, while in combination with the current workload, without changes of personnel it will be impossible for the economic team to cope.
The combination of the post of Minister of National Economy and Finance with that of head of the Eurogroup marks a significant expansion of Kyriakos Pierrakakis’s responsibilities.
For this reason, within the government there is increasing discussion of the need to strengthen the economic team and to reallocate responsibilities, as emphasized by the Russian outlet rua.gr.
First “victim” of the reshuffle, Kostas Tsiaras
The reshuffle is expected to affect other portfolios beyond the economic sector, the website underlines.
Among the first to be called into question is the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, where discussions are intensifying about the possible departure of Kostas Tsiaras.
His position has been weakened by the prolonged conflict with the farming community.
The main stake lies not so much in the changes themselves, as in the timing of their implementation.
The most likely scenario is the beginning of the new year.
Kovesi torpedoes the prime minister’s plans for a reshuffle
However, the final decision is directly linked to a “criminal case being handled by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, under the guidance of Laura Kövesi,” stresses rua.gr.
And this is none other than the OPEKEPE scandal.
According to the available information of the Russian outlet, the “material may be politically sensitive and concern current government officials.”
For precisely this reason, according to its sources, the Prime Minister prefers to wait until the process of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee is completed before taking final decisions on the individuals who will form the new cabinet.
The logic is simple: replacing ministers before new evidence emerges would risk triggering a second round of government reshuffles, while several ministers or their deputy ministers have been involved in this case.
The immovables, the return of Gerapetritis and the role of Hatzidakis
At present, within government circles a list has been formed of individuals who are considered practically immovable.
Among them are the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, Kyriakos Pierrakakis himself, the Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou, the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, and the heads of the key internal ministries, from public security to justice and digital governance.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, discussions are underway regarding the return of Giorgos Gerapetritis to the Maximos Mansion.
In this case, the Vice President of the Government Kostis Hatzidakis could take his place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This option is linked, among other things, to his role in managing the crisis surrounding ELTA.
“Sweeping, not mini”
Although Maximos Mansion has not yet taken final decisions, scenarios within the prime minister’s team are multiplying, and the changes will not be limited to one or two ministerial replacements.
As rua.gr stresses, this is a larger transformation, aimed at adapting the government to the new political and economic reality.
However, Kostas Tsiaras remains the most vulnerable figure in the current ND cabinet.
His possible dismissal would be seen as an attempt to defuse social tensions and a gesture of goodwill by the government toward farmers, with the ultimate aim of initiating a dialogue.
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