Greek PM to reshuffle cabinet

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has announced a cabinet reshuffle in a bid to get support for the austerity measures which have split his ruling party.

Evangelos Venizelos, once Papandreou’s biggest rival, is the new finance minister. He had been in charge of defense and has now also been appointed deputy prime minister.

Venizelos has been charged with pushing through the economic reforms which are a condition for Greece receiving an international bailout to save it from a debt default.

The announcement of the reshuffle had been delayed, suggesting the Greek PM was struggling to find someone to take on the finance brief.