Konstantinos Stephanopoulos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος |
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Stephanopoulos in 2000
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| President of Greece | |
| In office 10 March 1995 – 12 March 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Succeeded by | Karolos Papoulias |
| Minister of the Presidency | |
| In office 28 November 1977 – 21 October 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Georgios Rallis |
| Succeeded by | Menios Koutsogiorgas |
| Minister of Social Services | |
| In office 10 September 1976 – 28 November 1977 |
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| Prime Minister | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Preceded by | Konstantinos Chrysanthopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Spyridon Doxiadis |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 21 November 1974 – 10 September 1976 |
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| Prime Minister | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Preceded by | Christoforos Stratos |
| Succeeded by | Ippokratis Iordanoglou |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 August 1926 Patras, Greece |
| Died | 20 November 2016 (aged 90) Athens, Greece |
| Political party |
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| Alma mater | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |
| Signature |  |
Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος (Κωστής) Στεφανόπουλος) was an important Greek politician. He was born on August 15, 1926, and passed away on November 20, 2016. He served as the President of Greece for two terms, from 1995 to 2005.
Contents
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos: Early Life and Education
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos was born in Patras, a city in Greece. His father, Dimitrios Stephanopoulos, was a lawyer and also a Member of Parliament.
Kostis went to the Saint Andrew school in Patras. Later, he studied law at Athens University. After finishing his studies, he worked as a lawyer from 1954 to 1974.
Stephanopoulos's Political Journey
Starting in Politics: Member of Parliament
Stephanopoulos first ran for election in 1958. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Achaea area in 1964. An MP is a person chosen by voters to represent them in the country's parliament.
He was re-elected several times for the same area. He represented different political parties during his career. These included the National Radical Union and later New Democracy.
Serving as a Government Minister
In 1974, Stephanopoulos became the Deputy Minister of Commerce. This was his first role in the government. A minister is a high-ranking official in the government.
Over the next seven years, he held several important minister positions. He was the Minister for the Interior from 1974 to 1976. He also served as the Minister for Social Services and Minister for the Presidency.
Forming a New Political Party
In 1985, Stephanopoulos left the New Democracy party. He then started his own political party called Democratic Renewal (DIANA) in September 1985. He continued to lead this party until it ended in 1994.
Becoming President of Greece
First Term as President (1995-2000)
On March 8, 1995, Konstantinos Stephanopoulos was chosen to be the President of Greece. He was nominated by one party and supported by another, showing he could bring different groups together. He won the election with 181 votes from the Members of Parliament.
He was the fifth person to hold this important position since Greece became a democracy again in 1974. The President is the head of state in Greece.
Second Term as President (2000-2005)
Stephanopoulos was re-elected for a second term on February 8, 2000. He received a lot of support, with 269 out of 298 MPs voting for him. He stayed in office until March 2, 2005.
During his time as President, he was known for being calm and fair. He tried to unite people and was very popular in Greece.
The 2004 Summer Olympics
A special moment during his presidency was the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. As the head of the host country, President Stephanopoulos officially declared the Games open on August 13, 2004. This was a big event for Greece, as the Olympics were returning to their birthplace.
Later Life and Legacy
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos passed away on November 20, 2016, at the age of 90. He had been hospitalized with a fever and breathing problems, which turned out to be pneumonia.
Family Life
Stephanopoulos was married to Tzeni Stounopoulou for 29 years. She passed away in 1988. They had three children together.
Honors and Awards Received
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos received many special awards and honors from different countries around the world. He was also made an honorary citizen of many towns in Greece.
Poland : Order of the White Eagle (1996)
Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (1997)
Philippines : Order of Sikatuna (1997)
Spain : Collar of the Order of Charles III (1998)
Croatia : Grand Order of King Tomislav (1998)
Slovenia : Golden Order of Freedom (1999)
Austria : Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999)
Romania : Collar of Order of the Star of Romania (1999)
Sweden : Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (1999)
Estonia : Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (1999)- Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1999)
Slovakia : Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2000)
Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2000)
Italy : Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2001)
Iceland : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (2001)
Vatican : Knight with the Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX (2002)
Malta : National Order of Merit (Malta) (2002)
Norway : Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (2004)
Luxembourg : Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Latvia : Grand Cross Order of the Three Stars
Albania : Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana
Azerbaijan : Honorary Doctor Degree, Azerbaijan State University of Economics
See also
In Spanish: Konstantinos Stefanópulos para niños
