Lucas Papademos named new Greek PM
Posted November 10, 2011 9:37 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Greeks on Thursday said Lucas Papademos was a reliable and experienced person to take on the job of temporary prime minister of Greece, although some feared the interests of the people may be put on the bottom shelf.
The president’s office on Thursday confirmed Papademos was the new prime minister and would be sworn in on Friday.
“He is good, very good, he knows very well what he has to do,” said one businessman who didn’t want to be identified.
“It’s positive I guess if it means that this government is going to leave, so we can move on,” said Tellis Nitsos.
“Very good, very good, capable, and he has a lot of experience,” Alekos Petrou told Reuters.
But some thought Papademos would put the banks ahead of the people.
“He will take care of every detail to satisfy the banks and take care of our obligations, but in terms of the people I have reservations that he will do what should be done for them,” said George Lakkis.
Outgoing Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou met with party leaders early on Thursday to seal the deal, after the first attempt on Wednesday failed over arguments about the choice of prime minister.
Papandreou made a departing speech on Wednesday, wishing his replacement well and saying the new government would ensure that Greece would continue with its austerity program and pass a new EU bailout agreement which will give Greece another 130 billion euros to keep it floating.
Resolving the political crisis was crucial as Greece needs the next loan instalment of the first bailout loan received in 2010. The sixth instalment is required by December when the government says it will run short of money.
Political wrangling between Papandreou’s party and the party of the main opposition, New Democracy, went on for two days, causing anxiousness in the country and abroad.
Papademos, an economist, was vice president of the European Central Bank from 2002-10. He served as governor of the Bank of Greece from 1994-2002, where he oversaw the country’s efforts to join the euro zone.
