Defying critics, outgoing Greek government picks top judges

ATHENS, Greece – Greece’s outgoing government has defied opposition critics by appointing new top judges to the country’s supreme court, weeks before a general election.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras chaired a cabinet meeting Friday that appointed Irini Kalou and Dimitra Kokotini to top positions on the court for a two-year term.

The main opposition conservative New Democracy party, which is leading in all polls ahead of the election, wanted the appointments delayed until after the vote on July 7.

In statements from the meeting released by his office, Tsipras argued that the process of appointing new top judges had started long before his decision to call elections.

Tsipras was forced to call elections three months early after his left-wing Syriza party finished nearly 10 percentage points behind ND in the May 26 European parliamentary vote.