Dora Bakoyannis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dora Bakoyanni
Ντόρα Μπακογιάννη
Bakoyanni in 2009
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 15 February 2006 – 6 October 2009
Prime Minister	Kostas Karamanlis
Preceded by	Petros Molyviatis
Succeeded by	George Papandreou
Mayor of Athens
In office 1 January 2003 – 14 February 2006
Preceded by	Dimitris Avramopoulos
Succeeded by	Theodoros Bechrakis (acting)
Minister for Culture
In office 3 December 1992 – 13 October 1993
Prime Minister	Konstantinos Mitsotakis
Preceded by	Anna Benaki-Psarouda
Succeeded by	Melina Mercouri
Personal details
Born	Theodora Mitsotaki (1954-05-06) May 6, 1954 (age 71) Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Political party	New Democracy (Before 2010; 2012–present) Democratic Alliance (2010–2012)
Spouses	Pavlos Bakoyannis ​ ​ (m. 1974; died 1989)​ Isidoros Kouvelos ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	Alexia Kostas
Alma mater	University of Munich University of Athens

Theodora "Dora" Bakoyanni is a Greek politician. She was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece from 2006 to 2009. This was the highest position a woman had held in the Greek government at that time. She was also the head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in 2009.

Before that, she was the Mayor of Athens from 2003 to 2006. She was the first female mayor in Athens' long history. She was also the first woman to be mayor of a city hosting the Olympic Games. From 1992 to 1993, she served as the Minister for Culture of Greece.

Dora Bakoyanni has been an independent member of the Greek Parliament. She founded a political party called Democratic Alliance in 2010. In 2012, her party decided to work with the New Democracy party. Dora Bakoyanni rejoined New Democracy in May 2012.

Early Life and Education

Dora Bakoyanni was born in Athens in 1954. She comes from a well-known Greek family involved in politics. She is the oldest of four children. Her father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, was a former Prime Minister of Greece. Her mother was Marika Mitsotakis.

Her family is from Chania, Crete. They have a long history in Greek politics. Her younger brother, Kyriakos, is the current Prime Minister of Greece. She is also related to Eleftherios Venizelos, a very important figure in Greek history.

Dora Bakoyanni went to the German School of Athens. In 1968, her family had to leave Greece and go to Paris because of the military government. She finished school at the German School of Paris. She then studied political science and communication at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. After the military government ended, she returned to Greece. She continued her studies in public law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She speaks Greek, English, French, and German very well.

Family Connections in Politics

Political Career

Serving as Minister for Culture (1992–1993)

In the November 1989 election, Dora Bakoyanni won a seat in Parliament. She was re-elected in 1990. She served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State when her father became Prime Minister. From September 1991 to August 1992, she worked in international affairs for her party, New Democracy. She represented the party at European and International Democrat Unions. In December 1992, she became the Minister for Culture of Greece. She held this role until the 1993 election. After that election, she was re-elected to Parliament as part of the main opposition party.

Years in Opposition (1994–2002)

In April 1994, Dora Bakoyanni was elected to the Central Committee of New Democracy. She was re-elected to Parliament for Athens A' electoral district in 1996 and 2000. She received the most votes among all candidates in her district both times. She also served as the chairperson of her party's Executive Committee for two terms. In September 1997, she was appointed to the party's Department for Development. In May 2000, she became the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Becoming Mayor of Athens (2002–2006)

On March 29, 2002, Dora Bakoyanni was chosen to run for Mayor of Athens. This was a way for her party to show its growing strength. She was elected as Athens' first female mayor in the city's history. She won with 60.6% of the votes.

As mayor, she played a big part in getting Athens ready for the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was the first woman to be mayor of a city hosting the Olympic Games. She also passed the Olympic flag to the mayor of Beijing. In 2005, she received the World Mayor Prize for her work.

In 2003, she joined a group of 12 important people from Europe. They discussed ideas for the future of Europe.

Role as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006–2009)

Dora Bakoyannis with Vuk Jeremić, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

Dora Bakoyannis with Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State.

OSCE Family Photo Vienna 15-01-2009

Dora Bakoyanni left her role as Mayor to become the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece on February 15, 2006. This made her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Greek government. She kept this position after the 2007 election. She was again elected as a member of Parliament for Athens A' constituency.

As Foreign Minister, she led the Greek presidency of the United Nations Security Council in September 2006. This was during a time of international issues, like nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. She also worked to help solve problems in the Middle East. She attended meetings of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to discuss regional developments. She supported the Treaty of Lisbon and the Union for the Mediterranean plan.

Leading the OSCE (2009)

Dora Bakoyanni was the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from January to October 2009. As the leader of the OSCE, she was in charge of representing the organization. She also oversaw its work in preventing conflicts and managing crises.

Later Political Roles

Dora Bakoyanni was removed from the New Democracy party on May 7, 2010. This happened because she voted for new economic measures that the party did not support. She kept her seat in Parliament as an independent member. On November 21, 2010, she started her own political party called the Democratic Alliance.

Since 2012, she has been a member of the Greek delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She chairs the Sub-Committee on relations with the OECD and the EBRD. She is also a member of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy. She chaired this committee from 2014 to 2016. In 2019, she ran to become the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

In 2015, Dora Bakoyanni became a member of the OSCE Panel of Eminent Persons. This group works on European security.

Other Activities

• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Member of the Board of Directors
• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member of the Council

Awards and Recognition

In March 1992, Dora Bakoyanni received the International Leadership Award. In June 1993, she was recognized for her contributions to culture.

She was chosen as World Mayor in 2005. This award honors mayors who have served their communities well. She won for her efforts to prepare Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Her work to improve the city and her fight against terrorism also helped her win. She received many votes from Greece and other countries.

From 2006 to 2008, she was on the Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. In 2008, she received the Emperor Maximilian Award for Regional Policy and Local Government. In 2009, she was named the first female foreign associate of the French Academy in Humanities and Political Sciences. The same year, she was also given the title of Honorary Senator by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 2010, she received the National Order of the Chevalry of the Legion of Honour from France.

On March 21, 2008, she received a copy of the key to the city of Tirana during her visit to Albania.

Personal Life

In December 1974, Dora Bakoyanni married journalist Pavlos Bakoyannis. They had two children, Alexia and Kostas. In 1977, she started working at the Ministry of Economic Coordination. She worked in the Department of European Economic Community Affairs. When her father became the leader of New Democracy in 1984, she worked as his chief of staff until 1989.

On September 26, 1989, her husband, Pavlos Bakoyannis, was killed. He was a member of Parliament. She later married businessman Isidoros Kouvelos in 1998. She still uses her first husband's last name. Her second husband is currently the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

Images for kids

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  Bakoyanni in 2009

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  Dora Bakoyannis with Vuk Jeremić, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia.

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  Dora Bakoyannis with Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State.

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  OSCE Family Photo Vienna 15-01-2009

See also

In Spanish: Dora Bakoyianni para niños