International Media Praises New Greek Finance Minister

On Monday, June 9, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced the changes he made to his Cabinet. A major change that has been discussed in both Greek and foreign media is the appointment of Gikas Hardouvelis, as Finance Minister. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, “Antonis Samaras, has forged ahead with a wide-ranging reshuffle, appointing a non-partisan US-trained academic as finance minister in an attempt to rejuvenate a government clinging to power with a majority of two.” Furthermore, the article added that “Hardouvelis, a no-nonsense reformer, assumed the post at a particularly sensitive moment as Greece prepares to embark on debt negotiations with the foreign lenders.” Moreover, the American New York Times mentioned in an article about the new Cabinet that Hardouvelis will “try to enact a tough economic reform program that has been imposed by the country’s international creditors in exchange for continued rescue loans.” However NYT did not fail to mention that Yannis Stournaras was the one who managed to lead Greece back into the international bond market. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the Cabinet reshuffle is a way for the Greek government to win back some of its popularity after the EU elections in May. Furthermore, in regards to Gikas Hardouvelis the article mentioned: “The appointment of Mr. Hardouvelis, who is an experienced technocrat with a long background in government, is seen as signaling a continuation in Greece’s reform efforts.” According to WSJ, Hardouvelis’ role will be twofold: he will have to push “through a number of difficult overhauls in the months ahead,” while he will also have to nurse “Greece’s recession-ravaged economy back to growth.” Finally, an article in the Chinese online newspaper china.org.cn referred to the reshuffle as Samara’s attempt to “breathe new life” into the coalition government.

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