Kyriakos Mitsotakis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης
Mitsotakis in 2025
Prime Minister of Greece
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 June 2023
President	Katerina Sakellaropoulou Konstantinos Tasoulas
Deputy	Kostis Hatzidakis
Preceded by	Ioannis Sarmas (caretaker)
In office 8 July 2019 – 24 May 2023
President	Prokopis Pavlopoulos Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Deputy	Panagiotis Pikrammenos
Preceded by	Alexis Tsipras
Succeeded by	Ioannis Sarmas (caretaker)
Leader of the Opposition
In office 10 January 2016 – 8 July 2019
Prime Minister	Alexis Tsipras
Preceded by	Ioannis Plakiotakis
Succeeded by	Alexis Tsipras
President of New Democracy
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 January 2016
Vice President	Adonis Georgiadis Kostis Hatzidakis
Preceded by	Ioannis Plakiotakis
Minister of Administrative Reform and Electronic Governance
In office 25 June 2013 – 27 January 2015
Prime Minister	Antonis Samaras Alexis Tsipras
Preceded by	Antonis Manitakis
Succeeded by	Nikos Voutsis
Member of the Hellenic Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 March 2004
Constituency	Thessaloniki A (2023–present) Athens B2 (2019–2023) Athens B (2004–2019)
Personal details
Born	(1968-03-04) 4 March 1968 (age 57) Athens, Greece
Political party	New Democracy
Spouse	Mareva Grabowski ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	3
Parents	Konstantinos Mitsotakis (father) Marika Giannoukou (mother)
Relatives	Dora Bakoyannis (sister) Eleftherios Venizelos (great-great-uncle)
Education	Athens College
Alma mater	Harvard University (BA, MBA) Stanford University (MA)
Awards	Thomas T. Hoopes Prize (1990) Alexis de Tocqueville Prize (1990)
Signature

Kyriakos Mitsotakis (born 4 March 1968) is a Greek politician. He has been the prime minister of Greece since July 2019, except for a short time between May and June 2023. Mitsotakis is also the leader of the New Democracy political party, a position he has held since 2016. He is known for his centre-right views and policies that support a free economy.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Mitsotakis was the Leader of the Opposition from 2016 to 2019. He also served as the Minister of Administrative Reform from 2013 to 2015. His father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, was also a Prime Minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993. Kyriakos Mitsotakis was first elected to the Greek Parliament in 2004. After his party lost two elections in 2015, he was chosen as the party's leader in January 2016. Three years later, he led his party to win the 2019 election.

After the May 2023 election, no party won enough votes to form a government. Mitsotakis then called for another election in June. On 24 May 2023, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Greek president, appointed Ioannis Sarmas as a temporary prime minister. In the June 2023 election, Mitsotakis's party won again, and he became prime minister once more.

During his time as Prime Minister, Mitsotakis has been praised for making Greece's public services more modern and digital. He has also been recognized for managing the Greek economy well. For example, The Economist magazine named Greece the Top Economic Performer in 2022. This was partly because Greece paid back 2.7 billion euros of loans early. He has also supported LGBT rights in Greece, leading to the legalization of same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage in Greece. However, he has also faced criticism for how his government handled migration and for concerns about press freedom in Greece.

Early Life and School

Kyriakos Mitsotakis was born in Athens, Greece, on 4 March 1968. His mother was Marika and his father was Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who later became a Greek Prime Minister. When Kyriakos was born, his family was under house arrest by the military government in Greece. In 1968, when he was six months old, his family escaped to Turkey and then moved to Paris. They returned to Greece in 1973.

In 1986, Mitsotakis finished school at Athens College. He then went to Harvard University from 1986 to 1990, where he studied social sciences and received an award called the Hoopes Prize. Later, he studied at Stanford University from 1992 to 1993 and at Harvard Business School from 1993 to 1995.

His Career Before Politics

From 1990 to 1991, Kyriakos Mitsotakis worked as a financial analyst at Chase Bank in London. After that, he returned to Greece for his mandatory military service from 1991 to 1992.

From 1995 to 1997, he worked for a company called McKinsey & Company in London. He focused on telecommunications and financial services. Later, from 1997 to 1999, he worked for Alpha Ventures, helping with investments. In 1999, he started NBG Venture Capital, a company that invests in new businesses, and was its CEO until 2003. He left this job to start his political career.

In 2003, the World Economic Forum recognized him as a "global leader of tomorrow."

Becoming a Political Leader

Mitsotakis helped with the New Democracy party's national campaign in the 2000 election. In the 2004 election, he ran in the Athens B area and received many votes, becoming a member of the Hellenic Parliament.

On 24 June 2013, Mitsotakis was appointed as the Minister of Administrative Reform and e-Governance. In this role, he worked on making government services more efficient and modern. He supported reducing the size of the public sector and reforming the tax system. He held this position until January 2015.

In 2015, Mitsotakis was a representative for the New Democracy party in Parliament. He spoke for his party and helped ensure Parliament worked correctly.

Mitsotakis with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in 2016

Mitsotakis was one of the first people to announce he would run for leader of the New Democracy party after the party lost the September 2015 election. Many people saw him as an outsider in the race. After the first round of voting, he came in second place.

Mitsotakis with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 2017

On 10 January 2016, Mitsotakis was elected president of the New Democracy political party. A week after he became leader, two surveys showed that New Democracy was ahead of the Syriza party for the first time in a year.

His party won 33% of the votes in the European elections in 2019. After these results, a new election was called in Greece.

Prime Minister of Greece

First Term as PM (2019-2023)

Mitsotakis and Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, January 2020

Mitsotakis with President of Israel Isaac Herzog, December 2021

Mitsotakis with Russian President Vladimir Putin, December 2021

Mitsotakis with Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevski, February 2022

The New Democracy party won the 2019 election with 39.85% of the votes, securing 158 seats in the Greek Parliament.

On 8 July 2019, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos asked Mitsotakis to form a new government. Mitsotakis was sworn in as prime minister the same day. The next day, his government ministers were sworn in.

His government began to privatize some state-owned assets, like tourism facilities and shares in gas and electricity companies. They also introduced tax reforms to attract more investments to Greece. New laws were passed to change labor rules, including making it easier for employers to dismiss staff.

Mitsotakis's government received praise for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece. They put in place measures like movement restrictions and closing businesses from March to May 2020 and again from November 2020 to May 2021. His idea for a common COVID-19 certificate was adopted across Europe.

Mitsotakis with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, May 2022

There is a long-standing disagreement between Turkey and Greece over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mitsotakis has stated that Turkey "remains stuck in the logic of using force and threats." He told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Greece expects NATO to support its allies when another ally acts in a way that harms Greece's interests.

In July 2020, Mitsotakis gave honorary Greek citizenship to American actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, who has Greek heritage.

On 16 May 2022, Mitsotakis met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. The next day, Mitsotakis became the first Greek Prime Minister to speak to a Joint session of the United States Congress.

During his first term, Greece was named the Top Economic Performer for 2022 by The Economist. This was partly because Greece paid back 2.7 billion euros of loans early. However, Mitsotakis also faced criticism regarding concerns about corruption and press freedom. His term was also affected by the 2022 wiretapping scandal and the Tempi Train crash. He also received both praise and criticism for his handling of migration, including support from the European Union but also accusations of "pushbacks," which his government has denied.

Elections in 2023

Mitsotakis asked President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to dissolve Parliament on 22 April 2023, calling for new elections on 21 May. He said this was needed for Greece to achieve political stability.

New Democracy won the most votes but not enough to form a government on its own. Since no coalition government was formed, Mitsotakis called for another election in June. On 24 May, President Sakellaropoulou appointed Ioannis Sarmas as a temporary prime minister.

The next month, Mitsotakis again led his party to win a majority in the June 2023 Greek legislative election. He was sworn in as prime minister once more.

Second Term as PM (2023-Present)

Mitsotakis with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Crete, Greece, 6 January 2024

In July 2023, Mitsotakis announced his plan to legalize same-sex marriage in Greece. On 17 September, he stated that this issue would be addressed within the next four years.

In October 2023, Mitsotakis spoke out against the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. He expressed support for Israel and its right to defend itself. Greece agreed to support NATO operations in the region but later supported a call for a ceasefire through the United Nations.

In 2024, his government introduced new laws, including plans for private universities in Greece and changes to tax systems. Legislation for same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples was also proposed. This was seen as a big step forward, but it faced strong opposition from some groups, including the Greek Orthodox church.

Mitsotakis at the NATO summit in Vilnius on 11 July 2023

Before the government's plans to legalize private higher education, there was criticism that it might go against Article 16 of the Greek constitution. Legal experts and other political parties argued that the government was trying to bypass the constitution. This led to widespread protests against private institutions.

On 6 March 2024, during a visit to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian missile exploded near his group, killing five people.

In the 2024 European Parliament election, his party's support dropped to 28%. This led to other parties suggesting they might form a joint opposition against him in the next Greek election.

Mitsotakis with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Cairo, 17 March 2024

In May 2024, he visited Ankara, Turkey, and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They talked about events in the Middle East and Ukraine, and discussed improving trade and cooperation between their countries. Mitsotakis also stressed the importance of resolving the Cyprus dispute.

On 20 July 2024, Mitsotakis visited Nicosia, Cyprus, to mark 50 years since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He stated that Greeks "will not stop fighting until Cyprus is reunited."

On 30 March 2025, Mitsotakis met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. They talked about strengthening the relationship between Greece and Israel, especially in defense. This meeting caused some discussion because Netanyahu was facing serious accusations from the International Criminal Court.

Personal Life

Mitsotakis is the younger brother of Dora Bakoyannis, who was a former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mayor of Athens. This makes him the brother-in-law of the late Pavlos Bakoyannis and the uncle of Kostas Bakoyannis, who was also a Mayor of Athens.

Mitsotakis is married to Mareva Grabowska, who works in finance. They have three children: Sophia, Konstantinos, and Daphne.

Besides Greek, Mitsotakis also speaks English, French, and some German.

Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree

See also

In Spanish: Kyriákos Mitsotákis para niños

• List of international trips made by Kyriakos Mitsotakis