PM demands quick results from new team
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis demanded immediate results from his newly elected Cabinet yesterday and called for unity as he gets ready to implement difficult reforms with a slim parliamentary majority. Speaking after the Cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony, Karamanlis told his ministers that he will be keeping a close eye on their work and that their results will be regularly reviewed. «There is no time to waste, we cannot lose one day, not one minute,» he said. «We will operate with determination and focus on our aims and timetables, which must be totally met,» he added. Karamanlis introduced 17 new faces to the Cabinet he unveiled on Monday after the conservatives won Sunday’s elections with a 152-seat majority. The premier held on to top government officials, such as Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and the head of the Finance Ministry Giorgos Alogoskoufis, but injected new blood in an attempt to convince voters that the government will improve on its previous mistakes. Karamanlis indicated to his team that he will not be as tolerant of mistakes as he was in his first term and called on them to be more careful of addressing the press. «Too many television appearances, too many public comments… are harmful and can be very harmful,» he said. The handover of nine different ministries took place yesterday with some ex-ministers struggling to hide their emotions and bitterness at being dumped from the Cabinet. Newly appointed Education Minister Evripidis Stylianidis said that he will continue to push ahead with reforms of the education sector – changes that severely dented the popularity of outgoing minister Marietta Giannakou. «I am proud of the work I have done,» said Giannakou, who failed to gather enough support on Sunday’s elections to be re-elected as MP. Michalis Liapis, who was taken from the Transport Ministry to head the culture portfolio, said he was leaving behind «one of best public transport systems in all European cities.» Former-MEP Costis Hatzidakis will take over at the Transport Ministry as Liapis has moved to the Culture Ministry.
