ANA-MPA — Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras was sworn in as Greece’s new prime minister with a civil oath given before President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias at 16:00 on Monday. Earlier, Tsipras received a mandate to form a new Greek government in a meeting with the Greek President.
After being congratulated by the president on his election victory, Tsipras informed Papoulias that “following the results of yesterday’s elections, I met with [Independent Greeks party leader Panos] Kammenos, who said he will support the new government. There is, therefore, the majority in Parliament demanded by the Constitution and I hope that the existing majority of 162 deputies can become greater.”
“There is nothing more for me to do but to assign you the mandate to form a government, after I first swear you in,” Papoulias replied.
Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, closely watched by the media and attended by his close aides Nikos Pappas, SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis and the new government general secretary Spiros Sagias, Tsipras affirmed on his honour and conscience – as required by the oath foreseen under the law on forming a government – that he will uphold the Constitution and will serve the interests of the Greek people as a whole.
He then went straight for the east Athens district of Kaisariani, where he laid flowers at the National Resistance Memorial in honour of those executed there by Nazi troops in 1944.
Immediately being sworn in as prime minister, Alexis Tsipras visited the National Resistance Memorial for the fallen in the Athens district of Kaisariani, where he laid flowers on the monument in order to pay homage to those executed at the Skopeftirio (former rifle range) in 1944, during the Nazi occupation.
The prime minister was accompanied by Nikos Pappas and Panos Skourletis, while crowds of people gathered at the site and cheered.