Weeks after thousands protested over Greece’s worst rail disaster in 2023 which killed 57, mostly students, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis named new finance and transport ministers and handed other key portfolios to younger officials.
Who are the new ministers? The Greek prime minister has handed the reins of the finance department to Kyriakos Pierrakakis. He is 42-year-old former computer scientist who has spearheaded the digitisation of many state services in his previous role as digital governance minister.
Kyriakos Pierrakakis has replaced Kostis Hatzidakis.
Kostis Hatzidakis, on the other hand, has now taken charge as the deputy prime minister. In his capacity as the deputy prime minister, Hatzidakis will be coordinating economic growth policies as Greece seeks to extend its rebound from a 2009-2018 debt crisis which prompted deep cuts in wages and pensions.
New Transport Minister Christos Dimas, 44, will supervise an overhaul of Greece’s railways. The government promised to modernize the railway network after the crash, but the safety gaps that caused the accident have not been tackled two years on, a state inquiry found last month.
Mitsotakis also picked Stavros Papastavrou and Nikos Tsafos, both close aides and experienced technocrats, for the environment and energy portfolios as Greece hopes to make its economy greener while also looking for gas reserves on its territory.
The train disaster was the worst in Greece’s history and also triggered the largest protest the country had seen. It marked the beginning of a decline for the Mitsotakis government, which saw a drop in opinion polls, though it managed to survive a parliamentary vote of no confidence over the crash last week.
Political analysts doubted whether the reshuffle would stem popular anger towards Mitsotakis and his government, although the next parliamentary election is not scheduled until 2027.
“It is uncertain whether such changes would alter people’s perception of the government or make it more effective,” political analyst Costas Panagopoulos said.
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