Greek cabinet reshuffled after mutiny
Athens
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday reshuffled his government, a day after a major lawmaker mutiny in his radical left Syriza party over a draconian bailout deal.
In a bid to show international creditors he is in control of his Cabinet, Tsipras ditched energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, the head of Syriza's hardline faction that has consistently demanded an exit from the euro zone.
The deputy minister of defence, who was close to Lafazanis, was also axed. The PM also filled the posts of the junior ministers of finance and foreign affairs, who had resigned during the week over the bailout deal, which over half of Greeks had rejected in a referendum.
Labour minister Panos Skourletis, a close ally of Tsipras, was moved over to replace the outgoing Lafazanis.
The new members of the Cabinet were set to be sworn in at a ceremony on Saturday.
The reshuffle came just hours after the EU approved a short-term loan for Greece, allowing it to make huge payments as early as next week to its creditors while a new euro zone debt bailout is being hammered out.
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