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The Ministry of Finance has appointed Elena Panariti, a close associate of Yannis Varoufakis and member of the negotiating team, as Greece’s new Representative at the IMF. She will replace Thanos Katsabas.

According to the Ministry, Panariti was selected after her biography was examined and a committee interviewed her. Apart from Varoufakis, the commission was manned by Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis, Economy Minister Georgios Statakis and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Efklidis Tsakalotos.

The new IMF representative has held a position at the World Bank, participated in a plethora of international negotiations, taught at American universities, and in 2009-2012 was an MP from PASOK. According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2012 Panariti came up with harsh criticism of the financial policies of the government, despite being an MP of the majority. She has been a member of the country's negotiating team since 26 January 2015.

The ministry statement also points out that Greece is represented in the IMF by the Deputy Executive Director, who is nominated by Italy. On the IMF Executive Board, Italy officially represents Greece, Portugal, Malta, Albania and San Marino.

Meanwhile, Panariti’s nomination has provoked angry reactions amid SYRIZA circles. Sources from SYRIZA, as well as from the Prime Minister’s retinue, have expressed their discontent with Yannis Varoufakis’ choice.

According to these sources, there was a vote at the meeting in the Ministry of Finance, where Tsakalotos voted against Panariti, Dragasakis abstained and only Varoufakis and Statakis were ‘for’ Panariti’s appointment.

The sources said that although Varoufakis knew Panariti’s bid did not enjoy much approval, he was quick to send the IMF a request for her appointment and thus ward off any negative reactions from SYRIZA’s ranks. The party headquarters is believed to have been hostile to the proposal.

In their Twitter accounts, two MEPs from SYRIZA - Sofia Sakorafa and Dimitris Papadimoulis – openly voiced their disapproval of Panariti’s appointment.

"Panariti – a representative (of the IMF) of the first left-wing government? Now, that’s way over the top," Sakorafa wrote, while Papadimoulis came up with the following: "I disagree with the choice of Ms. Panariti as a representative of the IMF. I insist that the government and the Prime Minister review her appointment."

See Maria Spasova’s interview with Elena Panariti at: www.grreporter.info/Blagodenstvie_bez_granici/11566