One of the first reactions by international media to a Cabinet reshuffle in Greece on Tuesday came from the German financial daily Handelsblatt, which referred to the poll-trailing Tsipras government's attempt to establish a front ahead of a "mother of all battles" election confrontation.
The phrase was used by Greek PM Alexis Tsipras himself.
A general election is scheduled in Greece no later than the autumn of 2019, although the Greek premier has the right to call snap elections whenever he so desires.
However, at the moment Tsipras' hard left SYRIZA party trails main opposition New Democracy (ND) party by double digit percentage points in practically all mainstream opinion polls for the past year. The Greek prime minister's personal voter approval ratings are at an all-time low for him.
"It is improbable that the partially renewed team (Cabinet) can provide a big enough push that's truly needed by the government ... Tsipras knows that he's not turning a page with only a few changes in the individuals comprising his Cabinet ... At a SYRIZA central party committee he announced that the government has the economic margin to lower tax burdens. The prime minister didn't say what exactly he's planning to do, however, he promised that 'we'll be ready to proceed with generous interventions".
