Controversy over government appointments to semi-governmental organizations

The government is facing intense criticism regarding recent appointments to the boards of directors of semi-governmental organizations. Opposition parties, led by DISY, are questioning the transparency of the process, specifically noting that 21 out of 95 appointed individuals were not selected through the recommendations of the Advisory Council. This has sparked a debate over whether the selection mechanism functions as a meritocratic tool or merely a guise for pre-decided government choices.

Deputy Government Spokesman Giannis Antoniou and the President of the Advisory Council, Giorgos Arestis, have defended the process, labeling the criticism as unfair. They maintain that the Council is purely advisory and that the government successfully adopted 78% to 80% of its recommendations. Officials further emphasized that the system is a significant improvement over previous practices, where partisan identity was the primary criterion for appointments.

In response, the DISY Monitoring Council has demanded formal justification for the 21 appointments made outside the recommended lists. They argue that the government itself committed, in a decree dated June 28, 2023, to providing full reasoning for any deviations from the Advisory Council's proposals. The government has yet to provide these explanations, while opposition figures accuse the administration of resorting to rhetoric rather than addressing the institutional failure to follow its own established procedures.