Greek female judge switches to working as... prime minister

August 28, 2015 10:51

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Greece, Ms. Vassiliki Thanou temporarily left this position to be sworn in as the interim prime minister of Greece on August 27. She is also the first female prime minister in Greece.

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New Prime MinisterGreece, Ms. Vassiliki Thanou was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court - Photo: Reuters

Ms Thanou is currently rushing to form a government to put into operation today, August 28, before Greece holds early elections next month, which could take place between September 20 and 27, according to BBC.

In the first statement from the prime minister's office, Ms Thanou said that although she was running a caretaker government, she "believed that this government would also have to address important issues." She mentioned immigration in Greece as one of the "important issues," according to AP.

Ms Thanou, 65, was appointed by President Procopis Pavlopoulos as interim prime minister after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last week and Greece's biggest parties failed to form a replacement government in time.

Mr. Tsipras resigned in the hope of forming a government with a stronger consensus after the election, which would allow him to steer the country amid tough austerity demands from creditors in exchange for a third bailout for the Greek economy, worth up to 86 billion USD. He resigned just 7 months into what was supposed to be a 4-year term.

Previously, Mr. Tsipras faced fierce opposition from many people because of his measures to tighten spending and cut social benefits. Even within his own Syriza party, there was a lot of opposition when he agreed to cut salaries and raise taxes as demanded by creditors.

During his election campaign, Mr. Tsipras opposed austerity measures, but changed his policy soon after taking office to receive huge bailout packages, helping Greece escape the risk of bankruptcy and stay in the eurozone.

However, analysts say that Mr. Tsipras's party still has the best prospects of winning the upcoming election, but it is unclear whether he will have enough votes to form a government on his own. In the context of fierce divisions between parties, forming a coalition government will not be easy for Tsipras.

According to TNO

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Greek female judge switches to working as... prime minister
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