June 17, 2011
Evangelos Venizelos, Greece's new finance minister, has his work cut out for him. For any European politician it would be an unenviable post. But Venizelos, a 54-year-old constitutional law professor, wanted the job.
Venizelos is possessed of an intelligence that commands almost universal respect in Greece, and his appointment, though odd at first sight, could also be a stroke of ingenuity.
As a political heavyweight with a formidable grasp of economics, the telegenic former defence minister replaces Michalis Papakonstantinou, a suave operator in the corridors of power abroad but a poor communicator at home.
Venizelos, by contrast, is well connected to the country's powerful media and as one of Greece's most articulate politicians is viewed as the only man who can turn around public opinion – and get Greeks to swallow the bitter pill of more austerity.
"If he can't do it, no one can," said Giorgos Kyrtsos, a prominent political commentator. "Few others can present government policy or sell the measures that need to be sold as he can."
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