Greece names first openly gay minister

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks during a parliamentary session on the coronavirus pandemic, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues in Athens, Greece, November 12, 2020. (Reuters-Yonhap)

The center-right government in Greece named the country's first openly gay minister in a cabinet reshuffle Monday.

Nicholas Yatromanolakis, 44, was named as the new deputy minister of culture after being promoted from the position of general secretary at the ministry.

The government retained its ministers of health and finance and most other key positions in the reshuffle.

Greece is reeling from the impact of the pandemic that caused a spike in deaths in the fall and is expected to have caused a 10.5% contraction of its gross domestic product in 2020. Despite the difficulties, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis left most key cabinet positions unchanged, retaining Christos Staikouras as finance minister and Vasilis Kilikias as health minister.

Vaccinations were expanded from nine to 50 hospitals nationwide Monday. (AP)