The Greek Prime Minister is modifying his government to focus on the cost of living and working

ATHENS, Greece – Following his center-right party’s victory in the European parliamentary elections, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made changes to his government on Friday, focusing on cost-of-living and labor policies.

Despite the recent decline in inflation, polls consistently show that the main concern for most Greeks is the cost of living, as the pandemic and Russia’s war with Ukraine have contributed to rising prices in the southern European country.

Takis Theodorikakos, 59, who previously worked on home affairs and public order, will head the development ministry, which is largely responsible for overseeing consumer prices.

In a social media post after the reshuffle was announced, Theodorikakos promised to “fight speculation and lower prices.”

Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party easily took first place in the June 9 European Parliament elections, winning 28.3% of the vote – almost double the 14.9% of the main leftist opposition party Syriza.

While this increased ND’s lead over Syriza in the previous European elections, it was considered a poor performance for the ruling party, which dropped by almost five percentage points compared to its 2019 results. Turnout was low, with almost 6 in 10 voters abstaining, and extreme right-wing parties made gains.

Mitsotakis also replaced the ministers of labour, home affairs and agriculture, and appointed former defense minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos to replace migration minister Dimitris Kairidis. Greece is a key entry point for thousands of migrants seeking a better life in the European Union. Most arrive on small boats from Turkey, but the number of arrivals has declined in recent years.

The key portfolios of finance, foreign affairs and defense remained unchanged.

Mitsotakis came to power in 2019 after more than four years of Syriza rule during the country’s financial crisis, and was re-elected in a landslide victory in the summer of 2023.

The new ministers will be formally sworn in next Friday, and the first cabinet meeting will be held on Saturday.