FOLLOWING a landslide victory in parliamentary elections on 4 October against the conservatives, Greeces newly elected Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou has made reforming the faltering economy his governments top priority. He appointed London-trained economist Louka Katseli to head the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Ministry and Socialist party spokesperson George Papacontantinou to the Finance Ministry. Katseli, 57, a Princeton graduate, has served as economic advisor to Papandreous father, Andreas between 1993 and 1996. She has taught economics at Yale and worked for the OECD. Her finance-ministry counterpart, Papaconstantinou, 47, studied at the London School of Economics and New York University. He had served as Papandreous advisor from 2004-2007 and party spokesperson after that. The Socialist PASOK party has promised a new approach to the economic crisis with a €3-billion stimulus package, and heavier taxing of the rich and helping the poor. The new prime minister also created Greeces first ever Environment, Energy and Climate Change Ministry, with close aide Tina Birbili in charge. An expert on climate change, she will give priority to Papandreous plan to promote green growth, with an emphasis on renewable energy. Credited with boosting ties with neighbouring Turkey when he was foreign minister in the 1990s, Papandreou opted to take over the foreign ministry portfolio himself in the new government. US President Barack Obama was among the first international leaders to congratulate Papandreou. A White House statement said that Obama called Papandreou to congratulate him on his partys success in the parliamentary elections in Greece, and wished the best to all the Greeks who took part in the democratic process. The President reiterated the importance of the US-Greece relationship and said he looks forward to working with Mr. Papandreou, according to the statement. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also sent his congratulations to Papandreou. You are recognized as a systematic supporter of development of friendly relations between our two countries...I am counting on mutual and active co-operation with your government, aimed to establish strategic relations between Russia and Greece in the sectors of the economy, science, culture and others, Putins letter, published on 7 October on the Russian governments official site, stated. The rich, in content, mutually beneficial bilateral relations fulfill both countries fundamental interests, stability and security in Europe, Putin concluded. Theodore Pangalos will be Greeces deputy prime minister. Addressing the first Cabinet meeting, Premier Papandreou said that the new government has received a mandate for the reversal of the situation...a mandate to change the way of governance of our country. The premier stressed that all the institutions need to be upgraded in order to become an element of the upgrading of democracy, to the citizens benefit. Noting that the issue at hand is not the money, but its proper management, Papandreou said that the extensive corruption has taken on the dimensions of a pandemic, and pledged that we will clash with perceptions deeply rooted in the state and society. He instructed his ministers to take account of the problems existing in the ministries they are taking on, and to not sweep them under the carpet but to confront them and solve them. Papandreou asked that each minister record the problems faced by his/her respective ministry, so that they can present them to a Cabinet meeting or meetings next week, together with their priorities, noting that the problems need to be known before measures are announced. Dimitris Reppas, who has served as labour minister under previous socialist administrations, was picked to run the new Infrastructure Ministry, a merger of the transport, communications and public works ministries, which were separate under the previous government. Michalis Chrisochoides, 53, will head the Citizens Protection Ministry, which will include the public order ministry, civil protection, fire department as well as coast guard, ports policy and maritime safety departments to enable better coordination between those branches.