While Varela, who previously served as Director of Domestic and International Services within the GNTO, is widely regarded as capable and professional, her promotion appears to contradict the very principles of meritocracy that the government claims to uphold.
According to official results from ASEP—the independent authority responsible for evaluating public sector appointments—Varela ranked lower than at least two other candidates in the competition for the post, both of whom possessed stronger academic backgrounds, more extensive professional experience, and higher overall scores.
One of them, Sofia Lazaridou, head of GNTO’s General Directorate of Administration, Organization and Promotion, scored a total of 2,327.44 points. This included high marks in the written examination, her experience, and educational qualifications, along with a strong performance in the interview. Another candidate, Konstantinos Koukas, the former mayor of Mykonos, scored even higher in the written section and ended with a total of 2,323.33 points. In contrast, Varela’s final score stood at 2,287.56—lower than both.
Though Varela’s competence is not in question, her appointment despite her lower score raises serious questions about transparency and fairness. For a position as prominent as the head of Greece’s top tourism authority—a role that directly reflects the country's image abroad—such concerns are not trivial. The minister's decision does not merely provoke political criticism; it casts doubt on the reliability of Greece’s supposedly impartial selection system.
