Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
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Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos (Template:Langx, 15 August 1926 – 20 November 2016) was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Greece from 1995 to 2005.
Life and career
Template:Conservatism in Greece sidebar Stephanopoulos was born in Patras on 15 August 1926 to the lawyer, radiologist, and Member of Parliament Template:Interlanguage link multi, and Vrisiis Philopoulou.[1] After attending the Saint Andrew school of Patras, he studied law at Athens University. He practiced law from 1954 until 1974 as a member of the Patras Bar Association.[1]
He first stood for election in 1958, with the National Radical Union and was elected for the first time as MP for Achaea Prefecture in 1964. He was re-elected for the same constituency for New Democracy (ND) in 1974, 1977, 1981 and 1985.[1][2] He served as ND parliamentary secretary and parliamentary spokesman from 1981 to 1985.[1]
In 1974, Stephanopoulos was appointed Deputy Minister of Commerce in the National Unity government of Constantine Karamanlis. For the next seven years, he served in a number of ministerial posts in New Democracy governments; Minister for the Interior from November 1974 to September 1976; Minister for Social Services from September 1976 to November 1977 and Minister for the Presidency from 1977 to 1981.[1]
In August 1985 he resigned from ND after a disagreement with Konstantinos Mitsotakis and on 6 September formed Democratic Renewal (DIANA). He was elected Member of Parliament for Athens in the 1989 elections while continuing as the leader of DIANA, until it disbanded in June 1994.[1][2]
On 8 March 1995, after being nominated by the conservative Political Spring party and supported by the ruling Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he was elected President of Greece, winning the election on a third ballot of MPs with 181 votes. He was the fifth person to hold the post since the restoration of democratic rule in 1974. He was re-elected on 8 February 2000 on the first ballot, after receiving the support of 269 of the 298 MPs present. He remained in office until 2 March 2005, when he was succeeded by Karolos Papoulias.[1]
As a President he was known for his low-key profile, unifying approach to current and international affairs, and gentlemanly behaviour. During his presidency, he was consistently the most popular public figure in Greece.[3][4][5]
As head of state of the host country in the Opening Ceremony, he is the first President of the Hellenic Republic officially declare open the 2004 Summer Olympics of Athens, the Olympic Homecoming of the modern era on 13 August 2004. Stephanopoulos was accompanied by Adjutant to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Air Force Colonel Georgios Dritsakos.
Stephanopoulos died in Henry Dunant Hospital, Athens, on 20 November 2016 at the age of 90. He had been hospitalised three days earlier, suffering from fever and severe respiratory difficulty, which later emerged as pneumonia.[6]
Family
Stephanopoulos was married for 29 years to Tzeni Stephanopoulou, who died in 1988. The couple had three children.[1]
Honours and awards
Stephanopoulos received many honorary awards and the highest decorations of foreign countries. He was an honorary citizen of many Greek towns.
- File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland : Order of the White Eagle (1996)[7]
- File:Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (21 February 1997)[8]
- File:Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines : Order of Sikatuna (23 June 1997)[9]
- File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain : Collar of the Order of Charles III (22 May 1998)[10]
- File:Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia : Grand Order of King Tomislav ("For outstanding contribution to promoting friendly relations and developing mutual cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Hellenic Republic." – 3 December 1998)[11]
- File:Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia : Golden Order of Freedom (1999).[12]
- File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria : Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999)[13]
- File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania : Collar of Order of the Star of Romania (1999)[14]
- File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden : Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (24 April 1999)
- File:Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia : Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (4 May 1999)[15]
- File:Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1 July 1999)[8]
- File:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia : Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2000)[16]
- File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (21 February 2000)
- File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy : Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (23 January 2001)
- File:Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (18 September 2001)[17]
- Template:Country data Vatican : Knight with the Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX (2002)
- File:Flag of Malta.svg Malta : National Order of Merit (Malta) (5 September 2002)[18]
- File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway : Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (7 June 2004)[19]
- File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg : Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau[20]
- File:Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia : Grand Cross Order of the Three Stars[21]
- File:Flag of Albania.svg Albania : Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana on the occasion of his state visit to Albania.[22]
- File:Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan : Honorary Doctor Degree, Azerbaijan State University of Economics
References
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- ↑ Ο Γ. Παπανδρέου δημοφιλέστερος πολιτικός, Imerisia Online
- ↑ Πρώτος σε δημοτικότητα ο Κ. Στεφανόπουλος, Imerisia Online
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- ↑ Slovak republic website, State honours : 1st Class in 2000 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)
- ↑ Icelandic Presidency Website (Icelandic), Order of the Falcon, Stephanopoulos, Constantinos Template:Webarchive
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- ↑ www.gouvernement.lu/ Template:Webarchive, State visit of President Stephanopoulos in Luxembourg, July 2001
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- ↑ Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana, 19.10.2004 Template:Webarchive
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External links
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Template:Interior Ministers of Greece Template:Authority control
- Pages with script errors
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- 1926 births
- 2016 deaths
- 20th-century presidents of Greece
- Greek MPs 1964–1967
- Greek MPs 1974–1977
- Greek MPs 1977–1981
- Greek MPs 1981–1985
- Greek MPs 1985–1989
- Greek MPs 1989 (June–November)
- MPs of Achaea
- Ministers of the interior of Greece
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni
- National Radical Union politicians
- New Democracy (Greece) politicians
- People from Patras
- Politicians from Patras
- Deaths from pneumonia in Greece
- Recipients of the Olympic Order
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
- Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
- First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania
- Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)
- 21st-century presidents of Greece