Costas Simitis

Born	June 23, 1936 Athens
Title	9th Prime Minister of the 3rd Hellenic Republic
Term	January 18, 1996 - March 7, 2004
Predecessor	Andreas Papandreou
Successor	Costas Caramanlis
Political party	PASOK (Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement)
Spouse	Daphni Arkadiou

Greece

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Constantinos Simitis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Σημίτης) (born June 23, 1936), usually referred to as Costas Simitis, was Prime Minister of Greece and leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) from 1996 to 2004. The Hellenic Parliament (Greek: Βουλή των Ελλήνων; transliterated Vouli ton Ellinon; literally Council of the Greeks) is the parliament of Greece, located in Syntagma Square in Athens. ... This is a list of presidents of Greece. ... Karolos Papoulias Karolos Papoulias (Greek: Κάρολος Παπούλιας) is the President of the Hellenic Republic, former minister and member of the Hellenic parliament. ... Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ... Kostas Karamanlis, the prime minister of Greece Konstantínos Alexandrou Karamanlís Currently Edited: Was edited with bad language and not in english. ... The cabinet of Greece is comprised of the heads of the major ministries. ... In Greece, the independence of the justice is safeguarded by the Constitution. ... In Greece, the Supreme Special Court (Greek: Ανώτατο Ειδικό Δικαστήριο) is provided for in the article 100 of the Constitution. ... The Court of Cassation is the Supreme Court of Greece. ... In Greece, the Counil of State (sometimes Counsel of State or State Council, Greek: Συμβούλιο της Επικρατείας) is, at the same time, an administrative organ (one of the three Big Bodies of the greek Public Administration) and the Supreme Administrative Court. ... In Greece, the Chamber of Accounts (or Court of Accounts or Court of Auditors or Audit Court, French: Cour des Comptes , Greek: Ελεγκτικό Συνέδριο) is, at the same time, an administrative organ (one of the three Big Bodies of the greek Public Administration) and a Supreme Administrative Court with a special jursdiction... The peripheries (περιφέρειες) are the subnational divisions of Greece. ... The super-prefectures of Greece are a second-degree organization of local self-government and an administrative division between the peripheries and the prefectures. ... Greece consists of 13 administrative regions known as Peripheries of Greece, which are further subdivided into 51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos, Greek: νομοί, νομός)): See also List of the prefectures of Greece by area List of the prefectures of Greece by population density List of the prefectures of Greece by population External... Here are a lists of the provinces (Greek: επαρχεία, eparcheia fr. ... Communities and municipalities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. ... Elections in Greece gives information on election and election results in Greece. ... Legislative elections were held in Greece on March 7, 2004. ... The 2006 Greek local elections will elect representatives to Greeces 3 super-prefectures, 54 prefectures, provinces, and approximately 1,033 communities and municipalities. ... Under the current electoral system, a party needs to surpass a 3% threshold in the popular vote in order to enter parliament. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... Greece was elected by the United Nations General Assembly to the United Nations Security Council, on 15 October 2004 , as a non-permanent member for 2005 and 2006. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ... Party logo The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Biography

Costas Simitis was born in Piraeus to Georgios (George) Simitis, a Professor at the School of Economic and Commercial Sciences, and to his wife Fani (nee Christopoulou). He studied Law at the University of Marburg in Germany and economics at the London School of Economics. He is married to Daphne Arcadiou and has two daughters, Fiona and Marilena. View of Piraeus A night ferry about to leave the port of Piraeus for the Dodecanese Piraeus, or Peiraeus (Modern Greek: Πειραιάς Peiraiás or Pireás, Ancient Greek / Katharevousa: Πειραιεύς Pireéfs) is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, located south of Athens. ... The University of Marburg, officially called Philipps-Universität Marburg after its founder, the Landgrave Philipp I of Hesse (usually called the Magnanimous), was founded in 1527 and is the worlds first and oldest Protestant university. ... The London School of Economics and Political Science, often referred to as the London School of Economics or simply the LSE, is a specialist university[2] and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located on Houghton Street in Central London, off the Aldwych and next to the...

Political activity before 1981

In 1965 he returned to Greece and was one of the founders of the political research group "Alexandros Papanastasiou". In 1967 this group was transformed into Democratic Defense, an organization opposed to the Greek military regime. Simitis escaped abroad after planting bombs in the streets of Athens (he acknoweldged his activities on Greek MEGA TV channel) in order to avoid being jailed and became a member of the Panhellenic Liberation Movement (PAK). He also took up a position as university lecturer in Germany. He returned to Athens in 1974 and was one of the co-founders of PASOK, led by Andreas Papandreou. In 1977 he took up a lecturer's post at the Panteion University. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Democratic Defense members trial, 1970 Democratic Defense ( Greek: Δημοκρατική Άμυνα) was one of the many anti-dictatorial struggle groups that fought against the 1967- 1974 military dictatorship of Greece. ... George Papadopoulos Greek Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος, Georgios Papadopoulos, (May 5, 1919 – June 27, 1999) was the head of the military coup détat that took place in Greece on April 21, 1967... Panhellenic Liberation Movement (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Απελευθερωτικό Κίνημα, ΠΑΚ), also known by its acronym PAK, was one of the many anti-dictatorial... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Party logo The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ... Andreas Georgiou Papandreou, Ανδρέας Γ. Παπανδρέου (5 February 1919 - 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist and politician. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Being a minister

Simitis was not a candidate for the Greek Parliament in the 1981 elections, but he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the first PASOK government of that year. Following the 1985 elections and his election as a deputy to the Parliament, he became Minister of National Economy; he undertook an unpopular stabilization program, trying to curb inflation and reduce deficits, but resigned his post in 1987 because he felt that his policies were being undermined. In 1993 he took over the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, but in 1995 he again resigned from the ministry and the party's Executive Bureau after a disagreement with Prime Minister Papandreou. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Note on Greek names: There is no firm convention for the rendering of Greek personal names into English. ... Andreas Georgiou Papandreou, Ανδρέας Γ. Παπανδρέου (5 February 1919 - 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist and politician. ...

Becoming President of PASOK

On January 18, 1996 on the resignation of Papandreou through ill-health Simitis was elected Prime Minister, defeating Akis Tsochatzopoulos and Gerasimos Arsenis in a special election, held among the party's parliamentary team. Simitis took office on January 22. However Papandreou remained Chairman of the party for the next several months, until his death, on June 23, just before a party conference would select the party's vice-president; after Papandreou's death, the conference would elect the new Party President. Simitis was elected leader of PASOK on June 30, defeating Akis Tsochatzopoulos on a platform of support for the European Union. Party logo The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Gerasimos Arsenis (Greek: Γεράσιμος Αρσένης) (born 1931), is a Greek politician who served as MP and minister in several PASOK governments. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ...

Costas Simitis

Image File history File links Simitis_ue. ... Image File history File links Simitis_ue. ...

Prime Minister

Simitis then led the party in the national elections of September 22, 1996, gaining a mandate in his own right. He also narrowly won the national election of 2000. Although he is widely respected throughout Europe, in Greece Simitis was regarded by some Greeks as a rather dull technocrat, lacking the charisma of Papandreou. September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

In 2004, PASOK's popularity was collapsing and in January 7 Simitis announced that he would resign as party president and would not be a candidate for prime minister in the next elections. He was accused of bowing out to avoid humiliation at the polls. At the time, he had been Prime Minister of Greece for 8 consecutive years, more than anyone else in modern Greek political history. In a past interview Simitis had already stated that he will remain prime minister for only 2 legislative periods, since "he wanted to do other things in his life as well". On January 8 he called elections for the position of party president to be held on February 8. Simitis was succeeded as PASOK leader by then-Minister of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou. Despite Papandreou's personal popularity, PASOK lost the March 7 elections to the conservative New Democracy party. So, Costas Caramanlis succeeded Simitis in the office of Prime Minister. January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... George Papandreou as Foreign Minister of Greece For George Papandreous grandfather, also called George Papandreou, see George Papandreou, senior. ... Legislative elections were held in Greece on March 7, 2004. ... For other uses of the term, including political parties with the name New Democracy, see New Democracy (disambiguation). ... Kostas Karamanlis, the prime minister of Greece Konstantínos Alexandrou Karamanlís Currently Edited: Was edited with bad language and not in english. ...

Policy and Legacy

Simitis is largely known in Greece for his political philosophy which is known as Eksynchronismos ("modernization") which focuses on extensive public investment and infrastructure works as well as economic and labor reforms. Simitis is credited by his supporters with overcoming harsh problems of the Greek economy and thus achieving the admitance of Greece into the Eurozone. During his governing, official data presented inflation as having decreased from 15% to 3%, public deficits diminished from 14% to 3%, GDP increasing at an annual average of 4% and factual labor incomes having increased at a rate of 3% per year. However, the macroeconomic data presented by Simitis' government were called into question by Eurostat, as well as the Financial Audit of 2004, conducted by the subsequent administration. Eurostat concluded in 2006 that the public deficit of the Greek economy amounted to 6,1% in 2003 ; more than double the percentage presented by Costas Simitis's government. [1] Many infrastructure works were constructed during the so-called 'era of Eksychronismos', ie the new Athens International Airport, "Eleftherios Venizelos", Rio-Antirio bridge, Athens Metro. Supporters, such as Theodoros Pangalos, a prominent PASOK MP, have compared Simitis to Greek figurehead reformer politicians of the past such as Charilaos Trikoupis and Eleftherios Venizelos, who are commonly considered as great reformers of Greece[2]. Nonetheless, the same politician has recently made sharply conflicting statements, castigating Simitis's PASOK government for having "destroyed the country after 2000" and "having made a mess in most sectors" [3]. Structural considerations taken into account, it will be much easier to public investment fits into fiscal policy. ... The Eurozone (also called Euro Area, Eurosystem or Euroland) is the subset of European Union member states which have adopted the euro, creating a currency union. ... The Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) is the statistical arm of the European Commission, producing data for the European Union and promoting harmonisation of statistical methods across the member states. ... Athens International Airport, Elefthérios Venizélos (Greek: Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών, Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος) or Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (IATA: ATH, ICAO: LGAV), which began operation in March 2001, serves the city of Athens in Greece. ... The piers of the Rio-Antirio bridge can slide on their gravel beds to accommodate tectonic movement. ... Refurbished metro station in Maroussi, Athens. ... Theodoros Pangalos (Greek Θεόδωρος Παγγάλος) was a Greek general who briefly ruled Greece from 1925-26. ... Charilaos Trikoupis - Athens, Photographic Archive of Hellenic Literary and Historical Museum Charilaos Trikoupis (July 11, 1832 (O.S.) – 1896) was a Greek politician who served as a Prime Minister of Greece seven times from 1875 until 1895. ... Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Greek statesman and diplomat. ...

Criticism

The opposition party of New Democracy has strongly criticized Simitis' government. Simitis rejected New Democracy's bills for accountability and transparency with regards to governmental expenditure and decisions [4], and New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis accused Simitis during parliamenary plenum of being an "archpriest of cronyism", referencing the index of NGO Transparency International. For other uses of the term, including political parties with the name New Democracy, see New Democracy (disambiguation). ... Costas Caramanlis Costas Caramanlis (in Greek Kostas or Konstantinos Karamanlis, Κωστας or Κωνσταντινος Καραμανλης) (born September 14, 1956) became Prime Minister of Greece on March... NGO is an abbreviation or code for: Non-governmental organization Nagoya Airport (IATA code) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

The appointment of the PASOK-leaning "To Vima" newspaper editor, Stavros Psycharis, as administrator of Mount Athos was, also,particularly criticised by the opposition [5].

In March 2004, while PASOK was still in government, Eurostat refused to validate the fiscal data transmitted by the Greek government and asked for a revision, as it had done previously -twice- in 2002, then resulting in a revision which changed the government balance from a surplus to a deficit.

The New Democracy government under Karamanlis, elected on April of that year, decided to conduct a Financial Audit of the Greek economy, before sending revised data to Eurostat. The audit concluded that the PASOK administration and prime minister Costas Simitis had falsified Greece's macroeconomic statistics, on the basis of which the European institutions accepted Greece to join the Eurozone. PASOK contested the accusations and claimed that 2006 Eurostat changes to the system of defense expenditure calculation [6] legitimized the practices of the Costas Simitis government. New Democracy responded that the defense expenditures covered by those changes constituted only a small part of much more substantial expenditures that were fraudulently concealed by the previous PASOK government. Whether Simitis's government conducted large-scale falsification of Greek fiscal data continues to be a hotly contested issue between the two political parties.

Costas Simitis was also embroiled in a dispute with the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, Christodoulos. A major clash between church and state errupted in 2000, when the Greek government sought to remove the "Religion" field from the national ID cards carried by Greek citizens, after a decision of the Greek commision for the Protection of Citizen's Private Data. Christodoulos opposed the decision, claiming that it had been "put forward by neo-intellectuals who want to attack us like rabid dogs and tear at our flesh". [7] He organised two demonstrations in Athens and Thessaloniki, alongside a majority of bishops of the Church of Greece. The attitude of Simitis arose few supporters within his party, further fewer amond other oppposition parties. The then-opposition leader signed a petition, organized by Church of Greece, calling for a referendum on the matter. However, the inclusion of religious beliefs on ID cards, even on a voluntary basis, as the Church had asked, was subsequently deemed unconstitutional by Greek courts and the issue has been sidelined. Archbishop Christodoulos His Beatitude the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos (Greek: Χριστόδουλος) (born Christos Paraskevaides Χρήστος Παρασκευαΐδης on 1939 in Xanthi) is the prelate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece, a position to which he was elected in 1998. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Kostas Karamanlis, the prime minister of Greece Konstantínos Alexandrou Karamanlís Currently Edited: Was edited with bad language and not in english. ... The Church of Greece is one of the fourteen or fifteen autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which make up the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ...

While PASOK traditionalists disliked his move away from more orthodox norms of Democratic socialism, and also his relative moderation on issues such as the Cyprus dispute and the FYROM name dispute, his supporters saw both of these as positive elements of the eksynchronismos movement that Simitis was seen as spearheading. Democratic socialism is a broad political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the context of a democratic system. ... The Cyprus Dispute is the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ... // International recognition The Republic of Macedonia became a member state of the United Nations on April 8, 1993, eighteen months after its independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...

Works

Simitis has authored several books and articles on legal and issues as well as on politics.

Politic Works

• «Structural Opposition», Athens 1979
• «Politics, Covernment and Law», Athens 1981
• «Politics of Financial stabilization», N. Garganas, T. Thomopoulos, Costa Simitis, G. Spraos, introduction-preface: Costas Simitis, Athens 1989, Gnosi Publications
• «Populism and Politics», N. Mouzelis, T. Lipovach, M. Spourdalakis, introduction CSostas Simitis, Athens 1989, Gnosi Publications
• «Developement and modernisation of the Greek Society», Athens 1989, Gnosi Publications
• «Views on the politic strategy of PASOK», Athens, 1990
• «Propositions for another politics», Athens 1992, Gnosi Publications
• «Nationalist Populism or national strategy;», Athens 1992, Gnosi Publications
• «Let's dare united», Athens 1994
• «For a strong society and a strong Greece», Athens 1995, Plethron Publications
• «For a financialy strong and socialy fair Greece», Athens 2002, Kastanioti Publications
• «For a strong in Europe and in the world Greece», Athens 2002, Kastanioti Publications
• «For a strong, modern and democratic Greece», Athens 2002, Kastanioti Publications
• On 2005 he published his book Politics for a Creative Greece 1996-2004 ("Πολιτική για μια Δημιουργική Ελλάδα 1996-2004" in Greek) where he presented in great extend his work during his chairmanship. Polis Publications

2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Politics of Greece

Politics of Greece takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...

External links

• His profile in Who is Who at Nato
• Simitis' article on Greece's deficit revision in 2004 by the new government as posted in Financial Times
• (Greek) Website of Costas Simitis