George Vassiliou Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids George Vassiliou
Γιώργος Βασιλείου
Vassiliou in 1992

3rd President of Cyprus
In office 28 February 1988 – 28 February 1993
Preceded by	Spyros Kyprianou
Succeeded by	Glafcos Clerides
1st President of United Democrats
In office 1996–2005
Succeeded by	Michalis Papapetrou
Member of the Cypriot House of Representatives
In office 1996–2001

Personal details
Born	(1931-05-20) 20 May 1931 (age 94) Famagusta, Cyprus (now disputed)
Political party	United Democrats (Enomeni Dimokrates)
Spouse	Androulla Vassiliou
Children	3
Alma mater	University of London

George Vassiliou (born May 20, 1931) is a Cypriot politician. He served as the President of Cyprus from 1988 to 1993. Before becoming president, he was a very successful businessman. He also led the United Democrats political party from 1996 to 2005. From 1996 to 2001, he was a member of the Cypriot Parliament.

As president, George Vassiliou brought many good changes to Cyprus. These changes helped both society and the economy. He also tried to find a peaceful solution to the Cyprus Problem. However, he was not able to solve it during his time in office. He later lost his bid for re-election.

Early Life and Education
Becoming President of Cyprus
- Key Achievements as President
After His Presidency
- Later Political Roles
Views on Europe
Personal Life
Honors and Awards
See also

Early Life and Education

George Vassiliou was born in Famagusta, which was then part of British Cyprus. His family was Greek Cypriot. His father, Vasos, was a doctor. He was also involved in politics.

Young George Vassiliou went to university in Hungary. He later moved to London to continue his studies. He attended the University of London.

Becoming President of Cyprus

In 1988, George Vassiliou was elected president. He ran as an independent candidate. He had support from the AKEL party. He took over from Spyros Kyprianou. Kyprianou had been president for two terms.

Key Achievements as President

During Vassiliou's time in office, Cyprus's economy grew stronger. He made several important changes. One big change was stopping the police from keeping secret files. These files were about citizens' political beliefs. This helped protect people's privacy.

He also worked hard to find a solution for the Cyprus dispute. This is a long-standing problem for the island. He used ideas from Boutros Boutros-Ghali. However, the dispute was still not solved when he left office in 1993.

After His Presidency

After losing the 1993 elections, George Vassiliou started a new political group. It was called the Free Democrats Movement. He became the leader of this new party. In the 1996 Parliamentary Elections, his party won two seats. He was also elected as a member of the Cypriot Parliament.

Later in 1996, his party joined with another party called ADISOK. Together, they formed a new party named United Democrats. George Vassiliou became the president of the United Democrats. He stayed their leader until 2005.

Later Political Roles

In the 2001 Parliamentary Elections, his party lost one seat. He was not re-elected to Parliament. In 2004, there was a vote in Cyprus about the Annan Plan. This plan aimed to solve the Cyprus dispute. George Vassiliou strongly supported the plan. However, the people of Cyprus voted against it. After this, he resigned as president of the United Democrats party.

From 1998 to 2003, Vassiliou had another very important job. He was Cyprus's Chief Negotiator. This meant he led the talks for Cyprus to join the European Union. Cyprus successfully joined the EU in 2004.

Views on Europe

George Vassiliou strongly believes in European unity. He thinks European countries should work closely together. He even signed an open letter with George Soros. This letter called for more unity in Europe. It was during a time when the Euro currency was facing challenges.

He also takes part in many international groups. These groups work on political and social issues. He is a member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation. This group works to promote tolerance in Europe. It also helps fight against xenophobia (fear of foreigners), extremism, and anti-Semitism (hatred of Jewish people).

Personal Life

George Vassiliou is married to Androulla Vassiliou. They have three children.

He has also written books about his life. In 2014, he published a book called 'Odyssey'. It was about his life before he became president. In 2015, he started writing a second book. This one was about his time as president of Cyprus.