The Greek government’s ministerial reshuffle has been subsumed by chaos following the resignation of Aristos Doxiadis as Deputy Minister of Research and Innovation after just over one day into the role.
Doxiadis stood down 33 hours after being sworn in to his new post following shots fired from SYRIZA wherein he was accused of being the legal representative of Apollo SA.
The company had been fined millions by the Competition Commission in 2009 for unfair practices in the foreign-language book sector and closed down shortly afterwards, leaving “debts” to the state and suppliers.
The controversy swarmed Doxiadis, who, according to protothema.gr, appeared to have stated before taking office that there was no shadow concerning him.
He chose not to respond to the criticism by SYRIZA when asked for clarification on Sunday morning (local time), though he said later, among other things, that he had no substantial involvement in the company, and that he had been acquitted in criminal courts in 2013.
Doxiadis opted to resign to protect his privacy as well as that of the government. The controversy intensified a day later when SYRIZA made calls for Deputy Energy Minister Nikos Tsafos to step down after a controversial social media post he made in 2020 while working as an energy consultant.
Tsafos, in the post in question, had referred to the Turkish Cypriot entity in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC). Turkey is notably the only state that officially recognises the TRNC.
SYRIZA spokesman Giorgos Karameros demanded that Tsafos apologise and resign while speaking on ERT on Monday (local time).
“He must not remain in the cabinet for a single minute,” Karameros said.
Later that same day, Tsafos defended himself in a social media post by saying he had deleted the post at the time, “acknowledging my serious mistake.”
“I will not allow anyone to question my patriotism and my dedication to the nation and Cyprus,” he said.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis also dismissed the opposition’s calls for the deputy minister to step down, stating in a press conference that there is no issue concerning Tsafos.
The controversies have taken focus away from the reforms prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had initiated with the reshuffle.
Doxiadis’ resignation after a few days will not fuel on-going political conflict, however it did overshadow the positive message the government wanted to sell about Mitsotakis’s reform agenda.
Mitsotakis’s week has been filled with visits to government ministries to deliver the key message regarding the need for efficiency and “quick wins”.
Before you go, don’t forget to share your thoughts with us by completing our reader survey – your feedback helps us continue to improve and bring you the content you love.
