Kostas Karamanlis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kostas Karamanlis
|
|
|---|---|
| Κώστας Καραμανλής | |
.jpg)
Karamanlis in 2009
|
|
| Prime Minister of Greece | |
| In office 10 March 2004 – 6 October 2009 |
|
| President | Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Karolos Papoulias |
| Preceded by | Costas Simitis |
| Succeeded by | George Papandreou |
| Minister for Culture | |
| In office 10 March 2004 – 15 February 2006 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Evangelos Venizelos |
| Succeeded by | Georgios Voulgarakis |
| President of New Democracy | |
| In office 21 March 1997 – 30 November 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Miltiadis Evert |
| Succeeded by | Antonis Samaras |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 6 October 2009 – 30 November 2009 |
|
| President | Karolos Papoulias |
| Prime Minister | George Papandreou |
| Preceded by | George Papandreou |
| Succeeded by | Antonis Samaras |
| In office 21 March 1997 – 10 March 2004 |
|
| President | Konstantinos Stephanopoulos |
| Prime Minister | Costas Simitis |
| Preceded by | Miltiadis Evert |
| Succeeded by | George Papandreou |
| Member of the Hellenic Parliament | |
| In office 18 June 1989 – 22 April 2023 |
|
| Constituency | Thessaloniki A |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Konstantinos Karamanlis
14 September 1956 Athens, Greece |
| Political party | New Democracy |
| Spouse |
Natasa Pazaïti
(m. 1998) |
| Relations | Konstantinos Karamanlis (uncle) Kostas Karamanlis (cousin) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Thessaloniki |
| Alma mater | University of Athens Tufts University |
Konstantinos A. Karamanlis (born 14 September 1956), known as Kostas Karamanlis, is a retired Greek politician. He served as the 10th Prime Minister of Greece from 2004 to 2009. He was also the leader of the New Democracy party from 1997 to 2009. This party was started by his uncle, Konstantinos Karamanlis. Kostas Karamanlis was a member of the Hellenic Parliament (Greece's parliament) from 1989 to 2023.
Karamanlis was first elected to parliament in 1989. He became the leader of his party in 1997. After leading the opposition for seven years, he became Prime Minister in 2004. He won the election with a record number of votes. He was re-elected in 2007.
In 2009, he called for new elections because his party had a small majority. This made it hard to manage the financial crisis Greece was facing. He lost the election and resigned as party leader. He continued to be a member of parliament. In February 2023, he announced he would retire from politics.
Contents
Political Journey
Kostas Karamanlis was born in Athens. His uncle, Konstantinos Karamanlis, was a former Greek President. Kostas studied law at the University of Athens. He also studied in the United States at Tufts University. There, he earned advanced degrees in political science and international relations.
Before becoming a politician, Karamanlis worked for the New Democracy party from 1974 to 1979 and from 1984 to 1989. He also wrote a book about Greek foreign relations.
He was first elected to parliament for Thessaloniki in 1989. In 1997, he became the leader of the New Democracy party. His party won the 2004 elections, defeating the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). From 1999 to 2006, he was a Vice President of the European People's Party.
Karamanlis was the first Greek Prime Minister born after World War II. He married Natasa Pazaïti in 1998. They have twins, a boy and a girl, born in 2003.
Serving as Prime Minister
In 2004, Karamanlis's New Democracy party won the election. They defeated the PASOK government, which had been in power for many years.
Karamanlis focused on several key areas for his government:
- Improving education
- Strengthening the economic policy
- Supporting agricultural policy
- Lowering unemployment
- Making the government more transparent and efficient
His economic plans included tax cuts, encouraging investments, and selling state-owned businesses (privatization). When he took office, Greece had a large public debt and a budget deficit. His government managed to cut the budget deficit by half by 2006.
Athens 2004 Olympic Games
One big challenge was getting ready for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Many buildings were not finished when Karamanlis became Prime Minister. The security budget for the games also increased a lot. The main Olympic Stadium was finished just two months before the games. Other facilities, like the streetcar line, were also completed very close to the opening.
Despite the rush, the Games were held successfully. However, the delays led to very high costs. The government said that social programs and military spending had created hidden debts.
Financial Review of 2004
.jpg)
.jpg)
In 2004, European officials questioned Greece's financial data. The new Karamanlis government decided to do a full financial review. This review found that previous governments had not reported Greece's economic numbers accurately. This caused problems for Greece's standing in the Eurozone.
In terms of social policy, the government made some changes. The retirement age was raised for some workers. They also tried to improve internet access across Greece. The European Commission praised Greece's plan for broadband internet.
In 2006, it was discovered that the phones of Karamanlis and other government officials had been wiretapped. The investigation into this matter was stopped due to concerns about national security.
The government also changed a law from 1936. This law required approval from the Orthodox Church to build non-Orthodox places of worship. This change made it easier for other religions to build their churches.
Karamanlis's government also proposed changes to the Constitution. One main idea was to allow private universities in Greece. Many Greek students go abroad for higher education. Supporters of private universities believed this would help keep students and money in Greece.
These proposed changes to Greek higher education faced strong opposition. Many professors and students protested. This led to large demonstrations and the closure of many universities in 2006. The government eventually passed the new laws in 2007.
Re-election in 2007
.jpg)
In the 2007 general election, Karamanlis was re-elected. However, his party won with a smaller majority. This election happened after major 2007 Greek forest fires had damaged parts of Greece. He promised to continue his reform and privatization plans. He also formed a new Cabinet of ministers.
2009 Elections
In the 2009 general election, Karamanlis and his New Democracy party lost the election. He stepped down as party leader on November 30, 2009.
See also
In Spanish: Kostas Karamanlís para niños
- Cabinet of Greece
