Greek finance minister Vassilis Rapanos resigns after illness

Greece’s finance minister, Vassilis Rapanos, resigned on Monday after being ill in hospital for several days. The prime minister’s office said that Mr Rapanos had sent a letter of resignation to the prime minister, Antonis Samaras, who had accepted it.

The country’s new coalition government, comprising Democractic Left, Pasok and New Democracy, was formed last week following months of political turmoil and two inconclusive elections.

But since then, the government has been beset by medical troubles, with the new prime minister, Anotnis Samaras, undergoing surgery at the weekend to repair a damaged retina. He was discharged on Monday, but will have to stay at home for several days.

Mr Rapanos was rushed to hospital on Friday, before he could be sworn in, complaining of severe abdominal pain, dizziness and nausea. It is thought he will be discharged on Tuesday.

The health problems afflicting key members of Greece’s cabinet has dampened expectations of any significant action emerging from this week’s European Union summit.

The summit this Thursday and Friday was to have been a key test of Athens’ hopes of renegotiating some of the austerity measures it has agreed to in return for billions of euros in rescue loans from the International Monetary Fund and other European Union nations that use the joint euro currency.

 

Telegraph has the full article

You may also like...