Makarios Lazaridis

Makarios Lazaridis is a Greek politician and member of the New Democracy party who served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food until his resignation in April 2026. His career is marked by a controversy regarding his educational qualifications. In April 2026, it was revealed that Lazaridis had been appointed as a scientific advisor to the Ministry of Education in 2007 and 2013 despite lacking the required university degree. He held a diploma from a private institution that was not formally recognized as a degree. Opposition parties, including PASOK and SYRIZA, accused him of degree fraud and improper hiring. Lazaridis initially defended his credentials and denied wrongdoing, attributing the incident to an administrative error by public services and stating his actual qualifications were documented in his file. He later offered to return any funds received improperly and formally demanded the repayment of those amounts. Following mounting political pressure and public calls for his departure, he resigned on April 18, 2026, to prevent further distraction to the government. He has maintained that his resignation was a political act rather than an admission of fraud or illegal conduct.