Papandreou Sworn in as Greek Prime Minister
By VOA News
06 October 2009
Greek Socialist leader George Papandreou has been sworn in as prime minister, two days after the former conservative government went down to defeat in snap elections.
Mr. Papandreou took the oath of office Tuesday in Athens during a brief ceremony presided over by the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos, and President Karolos Papoulias.
Mr. Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist Movement, PASOK, won 160 of 300 seats in parliamentary polls Sunday. Outgoing Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis resigned as head of his New Democracy Party after the defeat.
On Monday, Mr. Papandreou was formally invited to form a new government. He was to announce his Cabinet choices later Tuesday.
Mr. Papandreou's biggest challenge will be reviving Greece's faltering economy. He has promised a nearly $4.4 billion stimulus package that will increase taxes on the rich and help the poor.
Mr. Papandreou was born in the United States, and is the son and grandson of former Greek Prime Ministers.
Mr. Karamanlis called for an election halfway through his term, saying Greece needed a government with a clear mandate to deal with its economic woes. His party had been stung by corruption scandals and voter discontent with the economy.
Conservatives once loyal to Mr. Karamanlis also criticized the government's handling of riots late last year, triggered by the fatal police shooting of an Athens teenager.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP.
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