Gov’t seeks second chance on ‘law and order’ agenda
Six months after the country’s national elections, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided to move ahead with a mini-reshuffle, mainly aiming to tackle mounting security concerns.
The conservative government has placed security and “law and order” on top of its agenda.
Giannis Oikonomou was ousted from the government and Michalis Chrysochoidis will be the third person to fill the top post at the Ministry for Citizen Protection, evidence of the acute problems that have plagued the Greek police in recent years.
But, the police has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, from the death of a riot officer last week following an injury by a flare, the killing of a soccer fan in clashes between rival clubs in August, the alleged involvement of police officials in organized crime rackets, complaints of police brutality, the murder of Roma teenagers during police chase, even an alleged rape in a central Athens police station.
“The prime minister continues to play musical chairs, while trying to address some areas of concern in terms of polls and in terms of popularity,” said Wolfango Piccoli, co-founder of risk analysis company Teneo. “There was a feeling that law and order was becoming a bit of a weak point for the government.”
Chrysochoidis returns to his office at Athens police headquarters for the fifth time and is tasked to face an explosive rise in crime and an ailing corps that has dramatically worsened since the last time he was there, with the feeling of impunity prevailing.
He was serving at the same post when Greece dismantled November 17, Greece’s most deadly guerrilla group, in 2002. He also held the same post under the first term of the New Democracy government, but was reshuffled then by the PM.
One of his first tasks will be the selection of a new hierarchy in the police in the coming days
“The security sector needed a change, that was the daily experience of citizens,” Kathimerini reads in its main editorial on Thursday. “This is a key post that rightly returns to tried and tested hands.”
Wednesday’s mini-reshuffle, six months after New Democracy’s landslide victory in the national elections, is an indication of the pressure the government is under from everyday problems, even without a strong political opponent and a need to protect its image ahead of the upcoming European elections.
“All the key decisions will continue to be taken by the Maximos Mansion, the PM’s office,” Piccoli said. “The focus is now the European election, and especially consolidating more and more given the fact that the opposition is still all over the place.”
