Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has accepted the resignation of Agricultural Development & Foods Minister Spilios Livanos, announced his office on Monday.
Livanos submitted his resignation to the prime minister after Mitsotakis asked him to explain his reaction to the "unacceptable comments" made by Sparta city Mayor Petros Doukas during a recent meeting attended by the minister, it was added.
At the meeting, Doukas mentioned the tragic wildfires at Ilia region in the summer of 2007, before national elections later in the year. In a video of the meeting made available on Monday, Doukas is heard saying that compensations paid out to fire-afflicted citizens influenced the electoral result in favor of the New Democracy party. In the same video, Minister Livanos is heard telling Doukas that this was "a historic move."
Livanos admitted to Mitsotakis that he should have reacted differently, noted the premier's office announcement.
Meanwhile the Mayor of Sparta Petros Doukas has been expelled from New Democracy, the ruling party announced on Monday following his recent statements, which "apart from being historically untrue, have nothing to do with the principles and values of New Democracy," it was noted.
