| Cabinet Name: | First Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras |
| Jurisdiction: | Greece |
| Flag: | Flag_of_Greece.svg |
| Government Head: | Alexis Tsipras |
| Deputy Government Head: | Yannis Dragasakis |
| State Head: | Prokopis Pavlopoulos |
| Current Number: | 13 |
| Total Number: | 46 |
| Political Parties: | Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), Independent Greeks (ANEL) (with participation from Ecologist Greens and independents) |
| Legislature Status: | SYRIZA-led coalition government 162/300 (54%) |
| Opposition Parties: | New Democracy LAE (from 21/08/15) Golden Dawn To Potami Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) |
| Opposition Leader: | Antonis Samaras (Until 05/07/15) Vangelis Meimarakis (From 05/07/15) |
| Election: | January 2015 Greek legislative election |
| Legislature Term: | 16th (2015–2015) |
| Previous: | Samaras Cabinet |
| Successor: | Thanou-Christophilou Caretaker Cabinet |
Following his victory in legislative elections held on 25 January 2015, the newly elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras appointed a new cabinet to succeed the cabinet of Antonis Samaras, his predecessor.[1] A significant reshuffle took place on 17 July 2015.
Tsipras resigned as Prime Minister on 20 August 2015, and after opposition parties failed to form their own government, on 27 August Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou was appointed as an interim Prime Minister, and her caretaker cabinet was sworn in on 28 August. Following the subsequent September legislative election, Tsipras was re-appointed as Prime Minister on 21 September and appointed a second cabinet that was sworn in on 23 September.
The cabinet is composed of 35 members, alongside 6 deputy ministers. Including the deputy ministers the cabinet comprises 6 females and 35 males. It reflects the majority coalition in Parliament. It is composed of the winning Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) with the support of the right-wing anti-austerity party, Independent Greeks (ANEL). The Ecologist Greens (OP), which had withdrawn from the election in support of SYRIZA, were given the office of Alternate Minister of Environment and Energy. Finally, some ministers do not belong to any party.
Most members of the cabinet were sworn in on 27 January 2015,[2] with the exception of the new Minister of Justice Nikos Paraskevopoulos, who was sworn in a day later,[3] and the Alternate Ministers Christodoulopoulou, Spirtzis and Fotakis who were sworn in almost two months later.
While most representatives of Syriza chose a civil oath of office, the ANEL representatives as well as Yiannis Panousis, Dimitris Mardas and Panagiotis Nikoloudis chose a religious oath before a representative of the Greek orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens.
| Office[4] | Incumbent | Party | Tenure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Alexis Tsipras | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 26 January 2015 - 27 August 2015 | |||
| Deputy Prime Minister | Yannis Dragasakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 - 28 August 2015 | |||
The number of ministries has been reduced to ten, including four merged ministries:[5]
Alternate Ministers are directly assigned special responsibilities and powers by the prime minister, including:[6]
Full ministers however retain:
Deputy ministers are assigned with responsibilities and powers by the prime minister and the full minister they report to.
| width=15% | Ministry[7] | width=40% | Office | width=20% | Incumbent | Party | width=15% | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ministry of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction | Minister of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction | Nikos Voutsis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of Administrative Reform | Georgios Katrougalos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 17 July 2015 | ||||
| Christophoros Vernardakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of Citizen Protection | Giannis Panousis | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy | Tasia Christodoulopoulou | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 21 March 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace | Maria Kollia-Tsarouchaa | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction | Pavlos Polakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 2. Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism | Minister of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism | Giorgos Stathakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks | Christos Spirtzis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 28 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Shipping | Thodoris Dritsas | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Tourism | Elena Kountoura | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 3. Ministry of National Defence | Minister of National Defence | Panos Kammenos | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of National Defence | Kostas Isyhos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 17 July 2015 | ||||
| Dimitris Vitsas | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Deputy Minister of National Defence | Nikos Toskasa | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 4. Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs | Minister of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs | Aristides Baltas | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of Culture | Nikos Xydakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Education | Tasos Kourakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Research and Innovation | Kostas Fotakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 21 March 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister of Sports | Stavros Kontonisa | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 5. Ministry of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy | Minister of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy | Panagiotis Lafazanis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 17 July 2015 | |||
| Panos Skourletis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of Environment and Energy | Giannis Tsironis | width=5px style="background-color: " | OP | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Agricultural Development and Food | Evangelos Apostolou | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development | Panagiotis Sgouridisa | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 6. Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights | Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights | Nikos Paraskevopoulos | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 28 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights | Dimitris Papangelopoulos | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Minister of Foreign Affairs | Nikos Kotzias | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of European Affairs | Nikos Hountis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 13 July 2015 | ||||
| Sia Anagnostopoulou | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 18 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of International Economic Relations | Euclid Tsakalotos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 6 July 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs | Ioannis Amanatidis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 8. Ministry of Finance | Minister of Finance | Yanis Varoufakis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 6 July 2015 | |||
| Euclid Tsakalotos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 6 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of Finance | Nadia Valavani | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 15 July 2015 | ||||
| Tryfon Alexiadis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of Revenue | Dimitris Mardas | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 9. Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity | Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity | Panos Skourletis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 17 July 2015 | |||
| Georgios Katrougalos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| Alternate Minister of Social Solidarity | Theano Fotiou | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister for Combatting Unemployment | Rania Antonopoulou | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Alternate Minister of Social Security | Dimitris Stratoulis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 21 March 2015 – 17 July 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister of Social Security | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 18 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||||
| 10. Ministry of Health and Social Security | Minister of Health and Social Security | Panagiotis Kouroumplis | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Alternate Minister of Health | Andreas Xanthos | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 |
| width=5% | Rank[8] | width=40% | Office | width=20% | Incumbent | Party | width=15% | In office since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Minister of State | Nikos Pappas | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| 2. | Minister of State for Coordinating Government Operations | Alekos Flambouraris | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |||
| Deputy Minister of State for Coordinating Government Operations | Terence Quicka | width=5px style="background-color: " | ANEL | 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| 3. | Minister of State for Combatting Corruption | Panagiotis Nikoloudis | width=5px style="background-color: " | Independent | 27 January 2015 – 23 September 2015 | |||
| Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and | Gabriel Sakellaridisa | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 27 January 2015 – 17 July 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister | Terence Quicka | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 | ||||
| Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson | Olga Gerovassili | width=5px style="background-color: " | SYRIZA | 17 July 2015 – 28 August 2015 |
Bold denotes full ministers attending the weekly cabinet council.
a Deputy ministers are not members of the cabinet but may attend cabinet meetings.
References:[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Yanis Varoufakis, the Minister of Finance, resigned on 6 July 2015, following the 'No' vote in the Greek bailout referendum. In a blog post on his website, Varoufakis wrote: "Soon after the announcement of the referendum results, I was made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted 'partners', for my... 'absence' from its meetings; an idea that the prime minister judged to be potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement. For this reason I am leaving the Ministry of Finance today."[15] Varoufakis was succeeded as Minister of Finance by Euclid Tsakalotos. Tsakalotos in turn left his role as Alternate Minister of International Economic Affairs, leaving the position vacant.
Nikolaos Chountis, the Alternate Minister of European Affairs, resigned on 13 July 2015, three days before the debate on the first round of measures in the tenth austerity package began in the Hellenic Parliament. He also resigned from his parliamentary seat. Chountis subsequently took up the post of Member of the European Parliament for Greece, following Manolis Glezos's resignation.[16] Chountis was replaced as Alternate Minister of European Affairs by Sia Anagnostopoulou, as part of the 17 July cabinet reshuffle.
Nadia Valavani, the Alternate Minister of Finance, resigned on 15 July 2015, the day before the vote on the first round of measures in the tenth austerity package were debated in the Hellenic Parliament. Valavani was succeeded in her role by Tryfon Alexiadis on 17 July, as part of the cabinet reshuffle.
Following a number of cabinet members voting against the government on the first set of measures in the tenth austerity package on 16 July 2015, Alexis Tsipras reshuffled his cabinet. The reshuffle took place on 17 July, and the new ministers were sworn in on 18 July. The most notable move was to remove Panagiotis Lafazanis from his ministerial role.
Cabinet members that were removed from cabinet:
Existing cabinet members that took on new roles:
New cabinet members:
Along with ministerial changes, a special committee to combat corruption was also proposed by the Prime Minister, to be headed by the Minister of State for Combatting Corruption Panagiotis Nikoloudis. The committee would consist of Tryfon Alexiadis, Pavlos Polakis, Dimitris Papagelopoulos and Terence Quick.[19]
Newly appointed Minister of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Panos Skourletis described the reshuffle as an "adjustment by the government to a new reality".[20]