Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has unveiled a 50-member shadow cabinet, signaling the most concrete step yet in his effort to reassert influence over Greece’s fragmented center-left and build an alternative governing platform to challenge Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The new structure, announced ahead of a meeting of Tsipras’ National Council on Saturday, is organized around six broad policy pillars and 24 thematic portfolios ranging from the economy and foreign affairs to housing, migration and climate resilience. The initiative forms part of the newly established Hellenic Left Alliance, a political vehicle through which Tsipras is seeking to redefine the Greek left after the electoral collapse of SYRIZA.
The shadow cabinet brings together academics, former government officials, policy experts and technocrats tasked with developing proposals across key areas of public policy. According to the announcement, 18 of the 50 appointees are women.
Among the most prominent appointments is economist Fragkiskos Koutentakis, who will oversee economic policy, while veteran labor advocate Dionysis Temboneras takes charge of the labor portfolio. Former deputy minister Marizeta Antonopoulou will lead social policy, children and family affairs, while meteorologist Kostas Lagouvardos has been appointed head of energy and environmental policy.
The initiative places particular emphasis on social welfare, democratic institutions and economic development. Separate portfolios have been established for housing policy, digital transformation, industrial strategy, tourism, shipping, agriculture and climate adaptation — areas that Tsipras argues require a long-term policy response amid growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Foreign and security policy also feature prominently. Human rights expert Haris Tzimitras has been named head of foreign policy, while Christos Christodoulou will oversee defense issues and former public order official Zacharoula Tsirigoti will lead work on migration policy.
Former education minister Kostas Gavroglou has been appointed coordinator of the policy sectors, while political strategist Evgenia Fotoniata will oversee political planning. Giorgos Vasileiadis, a close Tsipras ally and former deputy minister, will direct the former prime minister’s political office.
The announcement comes as Tsipras seeks to position himself once again as a leading figure on the Greek center-left after stepping down from the leadership of SYRIZA following the party’s heavy defeat in the 2023 elections. By creating a shadow government staffed largely by policy specialists rather than party operatives, Tsipras appears intent on presenting a government-in-waiting focused on policy development rather than opposition rhetoric.
