Press Review June 10: Reshuffle!

The cabinet reshuffle sees PASOK MPs and New Democracy MPs from the populist right wing of the party take over key positions; Gkikas Hardouvelis takes over as Finance Minister, a relatively unknown quantity but who enjoys the support of the lenders; unearthed documents reveal the technocrats who will be ‘higher than the Prime Minister’; and Greek pensions face further cuts.

The Press Project
10 Ιουνίου 2014 | 09:57:09

	TA NEA The three-hour period of the big knives All of the behind-the-scenes activity of the government reshuffle. Samaras-Venizelos: the Sunday night meeting in Mourouzi Gkikas Hardouvelis: how he went undisturbed to the Prime Ministerial mansion last week. Yannis Stournaras: He knew about the Bank of Greece, but he did not know who his successor would be. “The journey does not end here”: what the Prime Minister said to the departing ministers and deputy ministers.
	EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON A pro-memorandum mish-mash The coalition government is attempting to throw sand in the people’s eyes with the new makeup of the cabinet. With its eye on future elections and after 2 weeks of bargaining, the crucial ministerial positions have been taken on by people who enjoy the full trust of the lenders – such as the new Finance Minister Gkikas Hardouvelis who guarantees the strict implementation of austerity. The pre-election character of the new administration is confirmed by the stronger presence of the populist right which has the aim of appealing to conservative voters who abandoned New Democracy.
	DIMOKRATIA The invisible hand of Kostas Simitis Gkikas Hardouvelis is the new Finance Minister – a former consultant for Eurobank which went bankrupt, and with no record as a secret adviser to former PM Papademos. The government reshuffle is a brainteaser of a message for citizens. How Sofia Voultepsi, Dinopoulos, Giakoumatos, Katerina Papakosta, Tasoulas and Lampropoulos suddenly found themselves back in the prime ministerial mansion. A government reshuffle with lots of PASOK and New Democracy MPs (aside from Anna Karamanli) only from Athens. None of the losing New Democracy candidates for mayoral races was given a position in the government reshuffle. Venizelos ‘paid off’ dissenters with ministerial positions.
	PROTO THEMA Unearthed documents reveal: Technocrats over the Prime Minister Auditors will oversee the budget Troika auditors will approve on a bi-monthly basis taxes and spending and will report directly to the European Commission. This is also baptized an ‘Independent Authority’.
	TO CHONI (The Sunday Anti-Memorandum Paper) Shock for Pensions! The elections have finished, the drama for Greeks has not: Supplementary pensions no longer have a future. The implementation of the memorandum commitments will bring continual reductions until their ultimate elimination. Basic pensions, as well as the social security system, are collapsing – they will end up something like welfare payments. One-off payments (efapax) will just disappear. The study performed – specially for TO CHONI – by labour researcher and SYRIZA MP Alexis Mitropoulos recorded in detail: The current situation and the laws that have already been passed which open the way for major cuts. What a ‘guaranteed pension’ of 360 euros means and when it will come into force. The dramatic situation of social security funds and what it means for pensions and the Efapax (lump sum payments). How supplementary pensions are affected: The zero deficit clause and what it means. The elimination of European funding. How basic pensions will be affected: The reduction in revenue for social security funds. The reduction in employer and employee contributions. The reduction in state funding.