Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is by all accounts feverishly preparing a cabinet reshuffle, to be announced later this week, after the sacking of former alternate labour minister Rania Papadimitriou, and the resignation of her husband, former economy minister Dimitris Papadimitriou.
Alternate Economy Minister Alexis Haritsis is expected to replace Papadimitriou.
A top-level government source told To Vima that the likeliest date for the announcement is Thursday, 1 March, and the new ministers will be sworn in the next day, before President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
Though the cabinet reshuffle is expected to be fairly limited, it is not only the two aforementioned ex-ministers who will be replaced, but also others whose actions or performance level have hindered the government.
Those who are considered certain to remain in their current posts are Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, and Alternate Finance Minister Yorgos Houliarakis, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (who is handling talks with FYROM and Albania and managing the Greek-Turkish relations and Cyprus issues), and Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, who is the junior partner in the ruling coalition.
The ministers of health, transportation, and justice are all expected to retain their posts.
One slot that will be filled will be that of deputy education minister, which has been vacant since the sacking of Kostas Zouraris.
Ministers who reportedly may be replaced are Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroumplis (whose initials appear in the Novartis probe, and who is deemed to have botched the management of the Saronic Gulf oil spill), Culture Minister Lydia Koniordou, Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas, Alternate Foreign Minister Yorgos Katrougalos, Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis, Interior Minister Panos Skourletis, quite possibly Education Minister Kostas Gavroglu., and possibly two or three deputy ministers.
Nikos Hasapopoulos
