According to an embodiment, a switchgear operating mechanism has a roller pin rotatably fixed to a leading end of a latch lever. A latch is fixed to a solenoid lever at a position different from the rotation axis of the solenoid lever, and has a leading end engageable with the roller pin. In a state where the switchgear operating state is shifted from the closed state to the cutoff state, the solenoid lever is pushed by an electromagnetic solenoid for cutoff so as to be rotated in an opposite direction to the biasing direction of the solenoid lever return spring, and the latch lever is rotated by a biasing force of the roller pin to release an engagement between the roller pin and the leading end of the latch, which causes a cutoff spring to discharge its energy to rotate the latch lever.