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“The government of George Papandreou will be assessed on its overall performance - how it coped with the debt crisis and whether it managed to implement the necessary reforms in Greece. So, important are the problems that remain the same and not the change of faces. This is what the President of the Union of Greek Industrialists Dimitris Daskalopoulos siad after the announcement of the reshuffled Greek government.

The first response of the opposition to the announcement of the new government freed discontent and acute criticism to the Prime Minister George Papandreu. The media for its part stressed the fact that the Government includes old and experienced representatives of PASOK – politicians who have participated in previous governments. They reported that the changes have been announced in the first hours of the day and the Prime Minister assigned greater responsibilities to four key ministers.

Panos Panayotopoulos, member of the opposition party New Democracy, said after the announcement of the new government: “It took the Prime Minister 11 months and one long night with a tragic-comic stage setting to admit the failure of his government. Some members of the government have paid for the change which is the result of pressure and compromises. But if the government insists on following the same policy our country and the people will continue to pay. This is a government that is buried in the deep gloom, that fell into discredit by itself from the outset because of the Prime Minister’s manipulations.”

The Communist Party said that “the Prime Minister wants ministers who will be able to apply strictly the barbarous policy against the people and at the same time be able to cheat people. The policy that leads people to bankruptcy is neither the result of mistakes or poor government coordination, nor of the number of ministries and their names. It is the result of a strategy that serves the interests of monopolies.”

The left parliamentary coalition SYN said in a bulletin that the change of government personnel is inessential as it does not change anything connected to the policy as far as the memorandum is concerned. “It is implemented straight in the moment of supreme failure of the government policy relying at the same time on a new government structure, which enhances the power of the Prime Minister and turns the ministers into purposeless puppets,” said the press release.

The press attache of the Party of environmentalists Yiannis Paraskevopoulos said: “The change of individuals can improve only a few things when there is no way out of the policy conducted. A credible public administration is difficult to thrive, when ministries are merged or split often. The change increases the fears that the goal is to become a country that will accept investments rejected elsewhere.”

Kathimerini Newspaper, which is the most circulated in Greece, came under the heading of “Change with key persons” clarifying that “the Prime Minister announced the biggest changes in the obviously failing fields by the midnight reorganization of the Cabinet.”

“Ioannis Rangousis, George Papakonstantinou and Michalis Chrisochoidis will take the changes in the state, economy and development and Loverdos and Pambukis will be assigned special tasks,” reported Ethnos Newspaper. The left journal Elefterotipia commented that changes in the government were announced at midnight for the first time after the fall of the Greek dictators in 1974, emphasizing that “the flexible cabinet of ministers has increased by 12 ministers.”

The most influential economic newspaper Naftemboriki headed its first morning news “48 members of the new government” and focuses on the changes in the positions of some of the ministers and the introduction of old members of PASOK, who participated in previous governments.
 
The Vima Newspaper refers to “The government of the development and the memorandum” in which Ioannis Rangousis will take the role of coordinator. It subsequently argues that the aim of the change made is to accelerate the work of the government to complete the reforms. This will be through structural change and strengthening the power of the persons the Prime Minister believes will be able to implement fully the terms of the memorandum and trigger the functioning of the economy. Vima also talks about the end of the cabinet flexibility after the involvement of new personnel.

The most visited electronic portal In.gr headed its article “Structural changes and experienced staff – the Prime Minister made a government of special mission.” However, the electronic media Zougla.gr commented in the article “An old recipe for changes in the government” that “the changes follow the logic of inner balance and the return of the old cadres in government.”

The economic journal Imerisia headed its top news “A thriller that lasted all night”, emphasizing the central individuals in the government, the newly created Ministry of the Islands and Fishing as well as the new pledge of Minister Andreas Loverdos, who was Minister of Employment and now takes the post of Minister of Health.

International media generally focus on retaining the post of Minister of Finance George Papakonstantinou but also on the formation of new ministries, said the newspaper Ethnos. Ministers of development, employment and health were replaced, but members of the party that participated in the party's old government have returned, notes the BBC. The media doesn’t forget to note that the strikes and protests against the financial measures have become a daily phenomenon.

Analysts say the changes are designed to strengthen the economic and social policies of the government and to pacify the voters’ wrath from the stringent economic measures.

“Greek PM reshuffles cabinet, stays fiscal course” is Reuters’ heading. The Bloomberg economic agency notes in its title that this is the first change in the Papandreou's Cabinet and that Minister Papakonstantinou retains his post, but the ministers of economy and agriculture are replaced and a new ministry of shipping and islands is formed.

Meanwhile, the new government has formally assumed its duties after members of the Council of Ministers sworn before the President of Greece Karolos Papoulias that they will respect the Constitution and laws of the state.