Greece’s new prime minister George Papandreou took office on
Tuesday, after his PASOK party swept the polls in Sunday’s
general elections in Greece.
Papandreou was sworn in at 11:00 on Tuesday morning as prime
minister by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, in the
presence of President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias.
The 57-year-old former foreign minister from of one of Greece’s top political families, follows in the footsteps of his father Andreas and grandfather and namesake George, both of whom served several terms as prime minister.
The new prime minister immediately afterwards headed to the
Maximos Mansion (government headquarters), where the ceremony for the
official handover from outgoing New Democracy (ND) premier Costas
Karamanlis took place.
The new Cabinet, chaired by prime minister Papandreou, will hold
its first meeting on Wednesday immediately after the swearing-in
ceremony.
In a brief exchange before their in-camera meeting, Papandreou
asked Karamanlis about his mother’s condition, after she was taken to
hospital earlier in the day, while Karamanlis wished his successor
strength and good luck.