Konstantinos Mitsotakis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Konstantinos Mitsotakis
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| Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης | |
Mitsotakis in 1992
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| Prime Minister of Greece | |
| In office 11 April 1990 – 13 October 1993 |
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| President | Christos Sartzetakis Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Preceded by | Xenophon Zolotas |
| Succeeded by | Andreas Papandreou |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 14 April 1992 – 7 August 1992 |
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| Preceded by | Antonis Samaras |
| Succeeded by | Michalis Papakonstantinou |
| In office 10 May 1980 – 21 October 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Georgios Rallis |
| Preceded by | George Rallis |
| Succeeded by | Ioannis Charalambopoulos |
| Minister of the Aegean | |
| In office 8 August 1991 – 13 October 1993 |
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| Preceded by | George Misailidis |
| Succeeded by | Kostas Skandalidis |
| Minister of Coordination | |
| In office 10 May 1978 – 10 May 1980 |
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| Prime Minister | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Preceded by | George Rallis |
| Succeeded by | Ioannis Boutos |
| In office 17 September 1965 – 22 December 1966 |
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| Prime Minister | Stefanos Stefanopoulos |
| Preceded by | Dimitrios Papaspirou |
| Succeeded by | Ioannis Paraskevopoulos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1918 Halepa, Kingdom of Greece |
| Died | 29 May 2017 (aged 98) Athens, Greece |
| Political party | Liberal (1946–1961) Centre Union (1961–1974) Independent (1974–1977) New Liberal (1977–1978) New Democracy (1978–2017) |
| Spouse |
Marika Giannoukou
(m. 1953; died 2012) |
| Children | Dora Kyriakos Alexandra Katerina |
| Alma mater | University of Athens |
Konstantinos Mitsotakis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μητσοτάκης; 18 October 1918 – 29 May 2017) was an important Greek politician. He served as the 7th Prime Minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993. He studied law and economics at the University of Athens. His son, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also became the Prime Minister of Greece in 2019.
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Early Life and Family
Konstantinos Mitsotakis was born on 18 October 1918 in Halepa, a suburb of Chania, on the island of Crete. He came from a family that was already well-known in Greek politics. His family was connected to Eleftherios Venizelos, a famous Greek statesman.
Mitsotakis was married to Marika Mitsotakis from 1953 until she passed away in 2012. They had four children together. His son, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is currently the Prime Minister of Greece. His daughter, Dora Bakoyannis, has also been a mayor of Athens and a Minister of Foreign Affairs. Another daughter, Alexandra, is involved in social activism.
Outside of politics, Mitsotakis loved Cretan history and protecting the environment. He collected many ancient items from the Minoan civilization and other parts of Crete. He and his wife later gave these valuable items to the Greek government. He also cared deeply about planting new trees in Greece, especially in the mountains of Crete.
Journey into Politics
Mitsotakis first became a member of the Greek Parliament in 1946. He represented his home area of Chania, Crete, for the Liberal Party. Later, in 1961, he joined the Center Union party.
In 1965, he led a group of politicians who left the government. This event caused the government to fall and made many people dislike him for a long time. In 1967, during a military takeover in Greece, he was arrested. However, he managed to escape to Turkey and then lived in Paris, France, with his family. He returned to Greece in 1974 when democracy was restored.
He was re-elected to Parliament in 1977. In 1978, his party joined with Konstantinos Karamanlis's New Democracy (ND) party. He served as a minister for economic coordination from 1978 to 1980. He was also the Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1981.
Becoming Prime Minister
In 1984, Mitsotakis became the leader of the New Democracy party. He and Andreas Papandreou, another important politician, were the main figures in Greek politics for the next ten years. They had a strong rivalry that began in 1965.
Mitsotakis's party won the election in June 1989. However, a new election rule meant that no single party won enough seats to form a government alone. This led to more elections. After two more elections in 1989, his party still didn't have a full majority.
Finally, in April 1990, New Democracy won 150 seats, just one seat short of a majority. A politician from another small party agreed to join them. This allowed Mitsotakis to form a government and become Prime Minister.
Key Actions as Prime Minister
As Prime Minister, Mitsotakis's government quickly worked to reduce government spending. They also started to sell off state-owned businesses to private companies. He aimed to make the government more efficient.
In foreign policy, Mitsotakis took important steps. Greece officially recognized the state of Israel during his time. He also worked to improve relations with the United States and other international partners. In June 1990, he was the first Greek Prime Minister since 1974 to visit the United States. He promised to work with NATO and prevent terrorism.
Mitsotakis also wanted to improve talks with Turkey. However, he made it clear that progress on the Cyprus dispute was necessary first. His government also faced challenges regarding the name of the newly independent Republic of Macedonia. This issue caused some members of his own party to leave and form a new party.
His government changed the election system back to how it was before 1989. This change helped Andreas Papandreou's party win the 1993 election. After this, Mitsotakis resigned as the leader of New Democracy, but he remained an honorary chairman.
Later Years and Legacy
In January 2004, Konstantinos Mitsotakis announced that he would retire from Parliament. This was 58 years after he was first elected.
Mitsotakis passed away on 29 May 2017 in Athens, at the age of 98. His funeral was held on 31 May 2017, and he was buried in Chania, Crete.
Honours
Australia: Companion of the Order of Australia (Honorary) (6 January 1992).
See also
In Spanish: Constantinos Mitsotakis para niños
