Greek cabinet reshuffle to tackle crisis

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has reshuffled his cabinet to gain support for harsh economic reforms that have stoked violent unrest and split within his ruling party.Papandreou picked Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos as new finance minister.Evangelos Venizelos is a 54-year-old socialist (PASOK) party stalwart who has challenged Papandreou for the party leadership in the past. A University Professor of Constitutional Law, he has been a member of parliament for PASOK since 1993. He has served as a cabinet minister during two PASOK terms and is respected within the party and by the public.Greece risks bankruptcy if it fails to pass the governments highly unpopular five-year plan for tax hikes, spending cuts and state property selloffs demanded by international lenders in return for a second bailout.Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou is to take on the Environment Ministry, which has a large portfolio with energy contracts and measures to increase revenues.Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas was also replaced by the vice president of the European Parliament, Stavros Lambrinidis.Prime Minister Papandreou was facing dissent within his party over the new package of austerity measures, with twoparliamentary deputies resigning over them. He has also faced daily protests on the streets over the reforms, which are a condition for Greece receiving an international bailout to save it from a debt default.The new measures must be passed by the end of the month in parliament, where the governing socialists hold a majority of 155 of the 300 seats.