Deputy Development Minister Lazaros Tsavdaridis resigns

Deputy Development Minister Lazaros Tsavdaridis has resigned following allegations that his daughter was listed as a member of a handball team in northern Greece without genuinely participating, allegedly to secure bonus points for university admission through the Panhellenic exams, at the expense of other female athletes.

On Thursday morning (November 12), Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted Tsavdaridis’s resignation after, according to government officials, the explanations he provided regarding the matter were deemed insufficient.

The atmosphere at the Maximos Mansion, the prime minister’s office, had already turned tense for Tsavdaridis on Wednesday, despite his denial of the allegations concerning his daughter’s alleged nominal participation in a handball team to obtain university admission bonus points. The Hellenic Handball Federation had also effectively backed him through an official statement.

After all, the last thing New Democracy would want in the final stretch before the 2027 elections is negative publicity involving questions of ethics.

Indeed, there has recently been growing discontent within the ruling party over conduct and actions by ministers perceived as provocative or insensitive towards the public. In his latest interview with Alpha Radio ten days ago, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged all New Democracy officials and government ministers to exercise particular caution over behaviour that could upset citizens.

It is worth noting that while Tsavdaridis maintained that his daughter had not used any additional admission points to enter higher education, a new report by Mega television cited an application for bonus points intended to facilitate her transfer from the Department of Agriculture in Larissa, where she had initially secured a place, to the Department of Education in Rhodes.

This development may have influenced the decision to accept his apparently less-than-voluntary resignation as deputy development minister.

After the prime minister’s office contacted the Ministry of Education on Wednesday to seek clarification regarding the applicable legal provisions, ethical considerations ultimately proved decisive.

The issue was also discussed at Thursday morning’s regular meeting at the Maximos Mansion, where the decision was ultimately made that Tsavdaridis should resign.

According to information available, however, Tsavdaridis’s resignation is not expected to trigger a broader cabinet reshuffle.

With just six months remaining before the elections, a reshuffle would merely leave numerous government officials dissatisfied, while newly appointed ministers would have insufficient time to familiarise themselves with their portfolios and advance the government’s policy agenda.

Consequently, Tsavdaridis will simply be replaced as deputy development minister. The relevant announcement is expected shortly, potentially later on Thursday and certainly no later than Monday.

Meanwhile, the prime minister has departed for Dublin, where he is scheduled to attend the ninth European Political Community Summit on Thursday and an informal European Council meeting on Friday.

What Tsavdaridis Said in His Defence

“My daughter has never used additional admission points to gain entry to any department at a Greek university,” Tsavdaridis said on Wednesday morning during an appearance on ANT1 television.

He also stated that his daughter had taken the Panhellenic university entrance examinations through the regular process and secured a place at the Department of Agriculture in Larissa. However, she ultimately did not enrol there, as she is currently studying at a university in Cyprus.

Tsavdaridis denied exerting pressure to secure his daughter’s inclusion in the handball team, allegedly resulting in other female athletes being excluded from the squad.

He maintained that his daughter was a legitimately registered athlete, held an official licence issued by the Hellenic Handball Federation and had participated in matches.

For its part, the Hellenic Handball Federation, in an official statement, said that “the athlete in question holds a legally issued athletic registration card and was physically present on her team’s bench during the matches for which she was registered.”

The federation therefore maintained that “there is no evidence of a violation of competition regulations that would establish unlawful or irregular participation by the athlete in the tournament.”

It nevertheless emphasised that sports clubs operate with administrative and competitive autonomy and are therefore responsible for selecting their athletes and determining how much playing time they receive.