Ministers to be more involved in policy
Mitsotakis will not abandon his governance model but will give the cabinet an enhanced role
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will continue to govern through a restrained circle of trusted aides in the runup to next year’s double election, although he will consult with his ministers more often.
In the wake of the revelations about the snooping on the phone of socialist leader Nikos Androulakis, there was a lot written and said that Mitsotakis’ governance model, considered too centralized for some, was to blame and how it needed to change.
But Mitsotakis is far from doing away with the so-called “executive model” of government. He is said to have told close aides that the executive model is non-negotiable and the only way to govern effectively.
Mitsotakis’ trust in the executive model is based on what he considers the success with which it has dealt with the multiple emergencies his government has faced since it has been in office, from July 2019, starting with the pandemic.
Government officials say the National Health Service was strengthened, the vaccination program was successful and the government was quick to react with financial support for those affected by the long lockdowns.
Mitsotakis is also satisfied with the way the government dealt with wildfires this summer, following the disastrous fires in the summer of 2021 that affected wide swaths of the country, notably the island of Evia.
Finally, the prime minister feels that his model of centralized government is best suited to deal with the energy crisis fanned by the war in Ukraine.
But Mitsotakis has also made moves recently to consult with his ministers more often, and not just strictly concerning issues relevant to their respective portfolios. Also, the cabinet meetings will increasingly deal with policy matters and strategy and not just upcoming bills, as was the case until now. As a consequence, draft bills will no longer be exclusively discussed between the competent minister and the prime minister and presented to cabinet meetings ready to be tabled in Parliament, but will be discussed there, and every minister will be able to have an input.
Mitsotakis’ choice to involve his ministers more in policy matters is also due to his estimate that they have performed well through the successive challenges; that is why, despite the continuing rumors, a cabinet reshuffle does not appear to be on his agenda.
