Costas Simitis, Former Greek PM, Dies at 88

Costas Simitis the erstwhile Greek PM and erstwhile PASOK socialist enactment person died connected Sunday astatine 7:30 successful the morning, his backstage bureau announced.

Born Konstantinos (Costas) G. Simitis, successful Piraeus to Georgios Simitis, a Professor astatine the School of Economic and Commercial Sciences, and to his woman Fani Christopoulou. Simitis studied instrumentality astatine the University of Marburg successful Germany and economics astatine the London School of Economics. He was joined to Daphne Arkadiou and had 2 daughters, Fiona and Marilena.

Simitis was known arsenic the Greek person who led the ‘Modernization’ question of Greece. He succeeded successful enactment Andreas Papandreou, the laminitis of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and served arsenic Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004.

Simitis was a founding subordinate of PASOK, and helium was appointed Minister of Agriculture successful Papandreou’s archetypal government. He stayed determination until 1985. He was moved to beryllium Minister of National Economy successful 1985 erstwhile PASOK’s profligacy needed a caller fiscal ‘stability’ to beryllium imposed successful the signifier of an economical accommodation programme and this marked Simitis’ consequent reputation. With stableness achieved and the party’s popularity waning, Andreas distanced himself from Simitis’ policies and Simitis resigned. Simitis gained further ministerial acquisition successful 1989–90 arsenic Education Minister successful the Zolotas all-party authorities (and again aboriginal arsenic Industry, Energy, Technology, and Commerce Minister from 1993 to 1995).

In 1996, Simitis won the enactment of PASOK aft Papandreou’s failing health. However, the enactment modulation from Papandreou to Simitis was confrontational by loyalists of the erstwhile Prime Minister, who wanted to forestall specified a modulation from being realized. Simitis lacked his predecessor’s charisma, and the fractured party’s enactment constricted galore of his actions successful government. However, by the extremity of his tenure successful 2004, Simitis had respective important achievements and reforms successful the wider nine and system to proclaim.

The show of the Greek system nether Simitis sealed the Greek introduction into the Euro currency and closing the travel of aligning Greece with the West that started with Eleftherios Venizelos and continued with Constantine Karamanlis. Simitis besides succeeded successful the Cypriot accession into the EU, a diplomatic precedence for Greece.

The palmy completion of the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics besides boosted Greece’s affirmative representation arsenic a modern authorities susceptible of undertaking blase tasks. Moreover, a assortment of large-scale infrastructure projects were completed, similar the caller Eleftherios Venizelos airport, the Athens ringing road, Athens Metro, and Rio–Antirrio Bridge. New institutions were besides introduced, specified arsenic the Greek Ombudsman and a fig of regulatory bodies to supervise marketplace liberalization.

After the indebtedness situation erupted successful Greece successful 2009, the bequest of Simitis would beryllium re-interpreted by critics arsenic not being capable oregon misleading. However, authorities institutions nether Simitis were developed and strengthened successful their capableness to reform, appearing some much ‘modern’ and ‘European.’

Simitis died connected January 5, 2025 astatine the property of 88 successful Korinthos, Greece.

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