Lucas Papademos sworn in as Greece's prime minister

Guardian
November 11, 2011

Greece has turned a historic page with a new unity government led by Lucas Papademos, a technocratic economist, being ushered into power after weeks of political turmoil that has cast doubt over the nation's eurozone membership.

With Archbishop Ieronymos, the country's spiritual leader overseeing the ceremony, Papademos, a former European Central Bank vice-president, was sworn in at the helm of an interim three-party coalition on Friday. His 48-member cabinet includes MPs from the conservative New Democracy party, the populist far-right Laos party and outgoing socialist government, which caved in under the pressure of handling Greece's worst economic crisis.

"We must all assume out responsibilities to take the country forward," the new prime minister said, addressing his first cabinet meeting. "We are living through critical and historic times and it is imperative that we co-operate."

In a country with almost no experience of cross-party rule, Greeks have reacted with relief at the new unity government and the appointment of a low-key, non-political figure as their prime minister.

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