Coalition Cabinet of Lucas Papademos
Encyclopedia
The Cabinet of Lucas Papademos
succeeded the cabinet of George Papandreou
, as an interim three-party coalition cabinet, leading a coalition government
formed by the PASOK party, New Democracy
party and Popular Orthodox Rally
party, after Papandreou's decision to step down, and allow a provisional coalition government
to form with the task to take Greece out of a major political crisis caused by the country's debt crisis
. It is the first coalition cabinet in Greece since the 1989–1990 Ecumenical Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas
.
The Prime Minister
Lucas Papademos and the Cabinet
were formally sworn in on 11 November 2011.
, after a narrow confidence vote win in parliament.
A day earlier, the leader of the opposition New Democracy
party Antonis Samaras
had rejected the proposal and called for an immediate election.
After Papandreou agreed to step aside, however, the two leaders announced their intention to form a national unity government
that would allow the EU bailout to proceed and pave the way for elections
on 19 February 2012.
The Communist Party
and the Coalition of the Radical Left
Party, refused Papandreou's invitation to join talks on a new unity government.
After several days of intense negotiations, the two major parties along with the Popular Orthodox Rally
agreed to form a grand coalition
headed by former European Central Bank
vice-president Lucas Papademos
.
On November 10, George Papandreou formally resigned as Prime Minister of Greece, and the new coalition cabinet and Prime Minister Lucas Papademos formally sworn in on 11 November 2011.
The national unity government's main task is to allow the EU bailout to proceed and to pave the way for elections on 19 February 2012. Papademos, who is not an elected MP, has said his priority will be to keep Greece in the eurozone.
Broadly, most Cabinet members served in the previous government of George Papandreou. Nevertheless, the new coalition government also includes six members hailing from the main opposition New Democracy party and four from the Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S) party.
Lucas Papademos
Lucas Papademos is a Greek economist who has been appointed as Prime Minister of Greece since 11 November 2011.Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Greece from 1994 to 2002 and Vice President of the European Central Bank from 2002 to 2010...
succeeded the cabinet of George Papandreou
George Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
, as an interim three-party coalition cabinet, leading a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
formed by the PASOK party, New Democracy
New Democracy
New Democracy or the New Democratic Revolution is a Maoist concept based on Mao Zedong's "Bloc of Four Social Classes" theory during post-revolutionary China which argues that democracy in China will take a decisively distinct path from either the liberal capitalist and/or parliamentary democratic...
party and Popular Orthodox Rally
Popular Orthodox Rally
The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
party, after Papandreou's decision to step down, and allow a provisional coalition government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
to form with the task to take Greece out of a major political crisis caused by the country's debt crisis
Greek government debt crisis
From late 2009, fears of a sovereign debt crisis developed among investors concerning Greece's ability to meet its debt obligations due to strong increase in government debt levels. This lead to a crisis of confidence, indicated by a widening of bond yield spreads and risk insurance on credit...
. It is the first coalition cabinet in Greece since the 1989–1990 Ecumenical Cabinet of Xenophon Zolotas
Xenophon Zolotas
Xenophon Zolotas , was a Greek economist and served as an interim non-party Prime Minister of Greece.-Early life and career:Born in Athens in 1904, Zolotas studied economics at the University of Athens, and later studied in Leipzig and Paris. He came from a wealthy family of goldsmiths with roots...
.
The Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Greece
The Prime Minister of Greece , officially the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic , is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek cabinet. The current interim Prime Minister is Lucas Papademos, a former Vice President of the European Central Bank, following...
Lucas Papademos and the Cabinet
Cabinet of Greece
The cabinet of Greece , officially called the Ministerial Council , constitutes the Government of Greece. It is the collective decision-making body of the Hellenic Republic, composed of the Prime Minister and the Ministers...
were formally sworn in on 11 November 2011.
Government formation process
On November 6, Prime Minister George Papandreou met with opposition leaders to try to reach an agreement on the formation of an interim governmentProvisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
, after a narrow confidence vote win in parliament.
A day earlier, the leader of the opposition New Democracy
New Democracy (Greece)
New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
party Antonis Samaras
Antonis Samaras
Antonis Samaras is a Greek economist and politician who has been leader of New Democracy, Greece's major conservative party and main opposition party, since 2009. A Member of Parliament for Messenia, he was Minister of Finance in 1989, then Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1990 and again...
had rejected the proposal and called for an immediate election.
After Papandreou agreed to step aside, however, the two leaders announced their intention to form a national unity government
National unity government
A national unity government, government of national unity, or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other national emergency.- Canada :During World War I the Conservative government of Sir...
that would allow the EU bailout to proceed and pave the way for elections
Next Greek legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on Sunday, September 16, 2007, to elect the 300 members of the Hellenic Parliament. The leading party for a second term was New Democracy under the leadership of Kostas Karamanlis with 41.83%, followed by George Papandreou and PASOK with 38.10%...
on 19 February 2012.
The Communist Party
Communist Party of Greece
Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
and the Coalition of the Radical Left
Coalition of the Radical Left
The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece...
Party, refused Papandreou's invitation to join talks on a new unity government.
After several days of intense negotiations, the two major parties along with the Popular Orthodox Rally
Popular Orthodox Rally
The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
agreed to form a grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
headed by former European Central Bank
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank is the institution of the European Union that administers the monetary policy of the 17 EU Eurozone member states. It is thus one of the world's most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt,...
vice-president Lucas Papademos
Lucas Papademos
Lucas Papademos is a Greek economist who has been appointed as Prime Minister of Greece since 11 November 2011.Previously, he was Governor of the Bank of Greece from 1994 to 2002 and Vice President of the European Central Bank from 2002 to 2010...
.
On November 10, George Papandreou formally resigned as Prime Minister of Greece, and the new coalition cabinet and Prime Minister Lucas Papademos formally sworn in on 11 November 2011.
The national unity government's main task is to allow the EU bailout to proceed and to pave the way for elections on 19 February 2012. Papademos, who is not an elected MP, has said his priority will be to keep Greece in the eurozone.
The Cabinet
In total, 48 people including the prime minister make up the government, seven more than its immediate predecessor. There are 12 new ministers in its ranks, of which nine have been sworn into government office for the first time, including the new premier.Broadly, most Cabinet members served in the previous government of George Papandreou. Nevertheless, the new coalition government also includes six members hailing from the main opposition New Democracy party and four from the Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S) party.