Greek Cabinet Faces Second Resignation This Week

Greece’s newly conservative-helmed government is facing a fresh resignation, the second already this week for the financially crippled country.

Giorgos Vernicos is (well, was) the deputy minister for Greece’s merchant marine industry. He announced his resignation today, and it was subsequently accepted by Greece’s government. Though Vernicos did not immediately give a reason for his resignation, critics are saying that it represents a conflict of interest, reports Seattle PI.

According to reports, the resignation of Vernicos isn’t exactly a surprise. After all, he was the deputy at the merchant marine ministry. The problem is more that it signals yet another halt in Greece’s progress back to prosperity. The new government has been hit with a lot of bad luck which has affected (at least, slowed) its ability to regain control of Greece’s austerity program, and this is just the latest episode.

Greece’s new Prime Minister Antonis Samaras was sworn in last week along with his new conservative-led government. The election changeover halted months of political deadlock, but the new administration has gotten off to a rocky start. It’s not like they have any real work to do over there, right?

The designated finance minister resigned on Monday citing illness as the reason for his departure. He was hospitalized the day he was supposed to be sworn in. The new Prime Minister himself is recovering from an eye operation that took place over the weekend and will be unable to attend an important European Union leaders’ summit later in the week, reports Newser.