by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has gone ahead with a mini cabinet reshuffle, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos announced Wednesday following the resignations of two ministers earlier this week.
The key posts in the cabinet remained unchanged.
Yannis Dragassakis was appointed the new economy and development minister and remains deputy prime minister, according to the announcement, which was broadcast live on Greek national broadcaster ERT.
Dimitris Vitsas, alternate minister of national defense until Wednesday, is taking over as migration policy minister replacing Yannis Mouzalas, while former leader of the Democratic Left, Fotis Kouvelis, enters the government as alternate defense minister.
The center-left party had participated in a right- led government coalition from June 2012 to June 2013.
Ruling Radical Left SYRIZA Member of Parliament (MP) Meropi Tzoufi will be the new deputy education minister; the former special secretary of the Labor Inspectorate, Thanassis Iliopoulos, was named alternate labor minister for social solidarity, and Konstantinos Stratis is appointed deputy culture and sports minister.
The new ministers are expected to be sworn in on Thursday.
The shake-up comes after outgoing economy minister Dimitris Papadimitriou and his wife Rania Antonopoulou, who served as deputy labor and social solidarity minister, stepped down over a state subsidy they received to rent an apartment in Athens, after an outcry by opposition parties, local media, and citizens.
Both multi-millionaire professors in universities in the United States, according to their income declarations which have been made public, Papadimitriou and Antonopoulou moved to Athens and served in government since the left-led ruling coalition assumed office three years ago.
Based on a 2015 law which stipulates that non-parliamentary members of the government can receive a residence allowance if they do not have a privately-owned residence in Athens, Antonopoulou had been receiving 1,000 euros (1,221 U.S. dollars) per month in state rent subsidies, a Greek daily revealed this weekend.
Although legally there was no issue, the couple was strongly criticized for receiving the subsidy while the country was teetering at the brink of default.
Antonopoulou stepped down on Monday evening and her husband stepped down on Tuesday.
