Prime Minister of Greece (&#;; since )
Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greek: Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, IPA:[cirˈʝakozmit͡soˈtacis]; born 4 March ) is a Greek politician currently serving as the prime minister of Greece since July , except for a month between May and June Mitsotakis has been president of the New Democracy party since He is generally associated with the centre-right, espousing economically liberal policies.
Mitsotakis previously was Leader of the Opposition from to , and Minister of Administrative Reform from to He is the son of the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who was Prime Minister of Greece from to He was first elected to the Hellenic Parliament for the Athens Bconstituency in After New Democracy suffered two election defeats in , he was elected the party's leader in January Three years later, he led his party to a majority in the Greek legislative election.
Following the May Greek legislative election in which no party won a majority and no coalition government was formed by any of the parties eligible to do so, Mitsotakis called for a snap election in June. On 24 May , as required by Greece's constitution, the Greek president Katerina Sakellaropoulou appointed Ioannis Sarmas to be the caretaker prime minister for the interim period.[1] In the June Greek legislative election, he once again led his party to a majority and was sworn in as prime minister, having received the order to form a government from the Greek president.[2][3][4][5]
During his terms as Prime Minister, Mitsotakis has received both praise and criticism for his pro-European, technocratic governance, austerity measures,[6] and his handling of the COVID pandemic in Greece.[7][8] He has been credited with the modernization and digital transformation of the country's public administration,[9] and has been remarked for his overall management of the Greek economy, with Greece being named the Top Economic Performer for by The Economist,[10] which was in particular due to Greece in being able to repay ahead of schedule billion euros ($ billion) of loans owed to Eurozone countries under the first bailout it received during its decade-long debt crisis, along with being on the verge of reaching investment-grade rating.[11][12] He has been commended for furthering LGBT rights in Greece through the legalization of same-sex adoption and same-sex marriage in Greece.[13][14] He has also received both praise and criticism for his handling of migration, including aid from the European Union,[15] but criticism from journalists and activists for pushbacks, which his government has denied.[16] Additionally, Mitsotakis has received criticism for heightened corruption during his term,[17][18] as well as a deterioration of freedom of the press in Greece.[19][20][21] His term was impacted by the wiretapping scandal,[22] the Tempi Train crash,[23] and the wildfires in and [24][25][26] In he received criticism by the European Parliament in a resolution addressing concerns over the state of the rule of law in Greece.[27][28][29]
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was born in Athens on 4 March , the son of Marika (née Giannoukou) and former Greek prime minister and New Democracy president Konstantinos Mitsotakis. At the time of his birth, his family had been placed under house arrest by the Greek military junta that had declared his father persona non grata and imprisoned him on the night of the coup.[30] In , when he was six months old, the family escaped to Turkey with the help of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairsİhsan Sabri Çağlayangil. After a while, they moved from Turkey to Paris and returned to Greece in [31] Mitsotakis controversially described the first six months of his life as political imprisonment.[32][33]
In , Mitsotakis graduated from Athens College. From to , he attended Harvard University and earned a bachelor's degree in social studies, receiving the Hoopes Prize. Later, his senior thesis was published as a book titled The Pitfalls of Foreign Policy, which received mixed reviews.[34][35] From to , he attended Stanford University, earning a Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy. From to , he attended Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA.[36]
From to Kyriakos Mitsotakis worked as a financial analyst at the corporate finance division of Chase Bank in London. From to , Mitsotakis returned to Greece and joined the Hellenic Army to fulfil his mandatory national service obligations. From to , and following the completion of his post-graduate studies, he was employed by the consultancy McKinsey & Company in London, focusing primarily on the telecommunications and financial services industries. From to he worked for Alpha Ventures, a private equity subsidiary of Alpha Bank, as a senior investment officer, executing venture capital and private equity transactions. In he founded NBG Venture Capital, the private equity and venture capital subsidiary of the National Bank of Greece, and acted as its CEO, managing its portfolio and executing transactions in Greece and the Balkans, until April , when he resigned to pursue a career in politics.[36]
In January , he was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a global leader of tomorrow.[37]
During the legislative election, Mitsotakis worked for New Democracy's national campaign. In the legislative election, Mitsotakis ran in the Athens B constituency, receiving more votes than any other New Democracy candidate in the country and was elected to the Hellenic Parliament.[citation needed]
Mitsotakis is honorary president of Konstantinos K. Mitsotakis Foundation, aiming at promoting the life and works of Konstantinos Mitsotakis and at reporting the modern political history of Greece.[citation needed]
On 24 June , Mitsotakis was appointed as the Minister of Administrative Reform and e-Governance in Antonis Samaras' cabinet, succeeding Antonis Manitakis. He was in this position until January During this time, he pursued comprehensive national reforms by implementing a functional reorganization of institutions, structures and processes. He steadfastly supported the drastic downsizing of the Public Sector and the structural reform of the tax administration.
In , Mitsotakis was a parliamentary representative for New Democracy, representing the President of the party in Parliament, as well as the body of the party's Representatives. He was charged with expressing the positions of his party during Parliamentary procedures and discourse, as well as ensuring the proper function of Parliament through a process of checks and balances. In March , he claimed that then-Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis was undermining the Greek negotiations over the third bailout programme, saying: "Every time he opens his mouth, he creates a problem for the country's negotiating position."[38]
Mitsotakis was the first of four New Democracy members to announce their candidacy in the leadership election, declared following the resignation of Antonis Samaras as party leader and the failure of New Democracy in the September snap election.[39] Amongst the other contestants was then-interim leader and former Speaker of the Hellenic ParliamentVangelis Meimarakis. According to the Financial Times, Mitsotakis was "billed as an outsider in the leadership race" due to the party establishment's support of Meimarakis' candidacy.[40] Following the first round of voting with no clear winner, Mitsotakis came second, 11% behind Meimarakis.[40]
On 10 January , Mitsotakis was elected president of the New Democracy political party succeeding Ioannis Plakiotakis (transitional president) with almost 4% difference from opponent Vangelis Meimarakis. A week following Mitsotakis' election as leader, two opinion polls were published that put New Democracy ahead of Syriza for the first time in a year.[41]
His party won 33% of the votes in the European elections in [42] He managed to win back votes from the Golden Dawn Party.[43] Following the election results, the Hellenic Parliament was dissolved and a snap election was called.[44]
Under Mitsotakis, Greece has declined in press freedom. Violence against journalists has increased,[45] resulting to a deterioration of the Greek freedom of the press.[46][47][48] Mitsotakis' government has directed funds towards media platforms that produce favorable coverage, whilst also allocating more than €20 million to state-friendly media at the beginning of the pandemic.[46] Furthermore, in November , the government enacted a law to criminalize the dissemination of "fake news". This legislation empowers authorities to imprison individuals for up to five years if they spread purportedly false information that is deemed capable of causing concern or fear to the public or undermining public confidence in the national economy, the country's defense capacity, or public health.[49][50] Mitsotakis has acknowledged that the law may have been a mistake, but the law has not been reversed.[46]
Mitsotakis adopted a hardline stance on the European Migrant Crisis by resorting to pushbacks of thousands of migrants in an attempt to prevent their entry into Greece, which his government has denied.[51][52][53] He received praise from the European Union for his handling of the crisis and received economic support of €m.[54]
Main article: Greek wiretapping scandal
In July , the leader of the political party PASOK, Nikos Androulakis, revealed that there was an attempt of bugging his phone with the spyware program "Predator". In a closed-door parliamentary hearing that was called by Androulakis, the chief of Greek Intelligence Service, P. Kontoleon, admitted that his service had spied Greek journalist Thanassis Koukakis, who has also complained about being targeted by "Predator".[55] After the publication of an investigation by Efsyn and Reporters United that Grigoris Dimitriadis, Mitsotakis's nephew and general secretary, had connections with Felix Bitsios, the owner of the company that markets the "Predator", Dimitriadis submitted his resignation.[56] Shortly after, the chief of Greek Intelligence Service, Panagiotis Kontoleon, also stepped down over an allegation that his service had tapped Androulakis's phone.[55] Mitsotakis himself has actively worked to block any investigation on the wiretapping scandal from concluding.[57][58] The scandal has garnered extensive attention in the international media due to the fact that a number of the actions taken subsequent to the revelations were contentious and seemed to suggest an attempt to conceal the truth.[59][60][61] In January , despite calls from the opposition to hold the government accountable for its actions and investigate the scandal further, Mitsotakis' administration successfully withstood a no-confidence vote.[62]
Main article: Tempi train crash
On 28 February , a freight train and a passenger train traveling in opposite directions between Athens and Thessaloniki were inadvertently routed on the same track; 57 people were killed in the head-on collision near Tempi. Amid rising anger and nationwide protests, Mitsotakis offered "a public apology on behalf of those who ruled the country over the years", took responsibility for the disaster and vowed to fix the long-neglected rail system.[63][64] He said the government would invest more than million Euros to hire more staff and to install digital control systems by August.[65]
In December , Mitsotakis was criticized after a photo of him surfaced on social media, in which he posed with five other people while not wearing a mask, during a time when Greece had a nationwide lockdown and mask-wearing was mandatory both indoors and outdoors.[66][67] On 6 February Mitsotakis visited the island of Icaria to inspect the progress of COVID vaccinations in the area. During this visit, he attended a lunch organized by MP Christodoulos I. Stefanadis along with his entourage numbering up to 40 people. The incident was covered by both Greek and international media and Mitsotakis was heavily criticized for violating the existing COVID containment measures.[68][69][70][71] Mitsotakis publicly apologized for the Icaria incident, saying this will never happen again and that "the image hurt the citizens".[72][73]
In May , when the Mitsotakis government announced the country's opening for tourism on 14 May, movement control measures, such as the obligation to send an SMS at particular sites, were retained temporarily. Other measures still in place after the re-opening of tourism were the daily curfew, from , the obligatory use of face masks indoors and outdoors, the ban on music in cafes and restaurants, and the ban on the operation of indoor restaurants throughout May. Casinos were allowed to operate, with a specific sanitary protocol. In an interview on 27 May , Mitsotakis did not give a clear answer as to when and if the above measures would be lifted in the summer. He referred to a roadmap for lifting the controls but did not elaborate. He also estimated that tourism in in Greece would be around 50% of the levels experienced in [74][75][76][77] Greece was awarded the "Global Champion Award for COVID Crisis Management" by the World Travel and Tourism Council, which "commends" the Greek Government as "a global example for the safe opening of the tourism sector during the pandemic."[78][79] He was also credited for the vaccine pass which was later used in the majority of countries in the European Union.[80]
New Democracy was victorious in the legislative election, scoring % of votes and securing seats in the Hellenic Parliament.
On 8 July , Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos accepted Tsipras' resignation and tasked Mitsotakis with forming a new government.[81] Mitsotakis was sworn in as prime minister the same day as well.[82][83] On 9 July, the ministers in his government were sworn in. Among his cabinet was Makis Voridis, a former member of the far-right Popular Orthodox Rally, who was met with a cold reception abroad and by the Jewish community in Greece. Israel announced that it would not cooperate with Voridis.[84]
From onwards, it is launching a wave of privatizations, including tourism infrastructure, coastal land, and state-owned shares in the gas and electricity companies and Athens airport. On the other hand, a tax reform aimed at making the country "a haven for billionaires and the wealthiest citizens", the Financial Times notes, is being implemented. The aim is to attract investment by offering low tax rates. A clause will protect the beneficiaries of this tax policy from possible policy changes by future governments.[85]
The "big growth bill", adopted in the summer of , provides for the restriction of the right to strike and the abolition of collective agreements, which had already been suspended in at the request of the Troika and then reinstated by the Tsipras government. Migration policy has been tightened: the coverage of hospital care for destitute foreigners has been abolished and the period during which refugees who have been granted asylum can reside in public housing has been reduced from six months to one month.[86] On environmental issues, the government reformed legislation to facilitate oil exploration.[87]
Mitsotakis' government has been praised by some observers for its handling of the COVID pandemic as well as for its plans for spending a €31bn share of the EU's Recovery Plan and for its orderly vaccination roll-out. Additionally, the common COVID certificate was credited to Mitsotakis, and his idea has been taken up at a European level.[88][89] Mitsotakis had criticized the initially slow pace of the EU's COVID vaccine rollout, and he had called for its acceleration.[90]
Measures were implemented from March to May and from November until May , when their gradual lifting started. The controls included the introduction of various movement restrictions, suspension of the operation of retail, catering and entertainment businesses, as well as schools and churches.[91][92]
In August , a reform of the labour law was adopted. It provides for the possibility of an employer to dismiss employees without having to give reasons for the decision or give prior notice to the persons concerned. The tax authorities' anti-fraud unit was abolished and its employees were integrated into the Ministry of Finance.[93]
There is a long-standing dispute between Turkey and Greece over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis said that Turkey "remains stuck in the logic of using force and threats."[94] He told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Greece is "contributing to NATO, we are an ally and have the expectation that when another NATO ally is behaving in a way that jeopardises our interests, NATO should not adopt this stance of equal distances and non-intervention in internal differences. It is deeply unfair to Greece."[95]
In July , Mitsotakis awarded honorary Greek citizenship to American actor Tom Hanks and his wife, American actress Rita Wilson, the latter of whom is half Greek.[96]
On 16 May , Mitsotakis met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House.[97] On the next day, Mitsotakis became the first Prime Minister of Greece to address a Joint session of the United States Congress at the invitation of U.S. House SpeakerNancy Pelosi.[98][99][][]
During his term as PM, Mitsotakis has received both praise and criticism for his pro-European, technocratic governance, austerity measures,[80] and his handling of the COVID pandemic.[][] Greece was named the Top Economic Performer for by The Economist,[] in particular because Greece in repaid ahead of schedule billion euros ($ billion) of loans owed to Eurozone countries under the first bailout it received during its decade-long debt crisis, and also because of being on the verge of reaching investment-grade rating.[][] Mitsotakis has also received criticism on the subject of corruption, as during his term, Greece has experienced heightened corruption,[][33] and a deterioration of freedom of the press.[46][47][48] His term was also marred by the Novartis corruption scandal,[][] the wiretapping scandal,[22] and the Tempi Train crash.[23] In addition, he has received both praise and criticism for his handling of migration, receiving praise and aid from the European Union,[54] but criticism from journalists and activists for pushbacks, which his government has denied.[]
Main articles: May Greek legislative election and June Greek legislative election
Mitsotakis visited PresidentKaterina Sakellaropoulou on 22 April in order to request the dissolution of the Parliament due to a national issue of extraordinary importance (pursuant to Article 41 of the Constitution of Greece); the issue cited was the need of political stability for the achievement of investment-grade.[][] The election day was set for Sunday 21 May,[] a day before the end of the day period within which elections must be held following the dissolution of the Parliament.
New Democracy won the plurality of votes but did not win an outright majority. As no coalition government was formed by any of the parties eligible to do so, Mitsotakis called for another snap election in June.[][][] On 24 May, as required by Greece's constitution, President Sakellaropoulou appointed Ioannis Sarmas to be the caretaker prime minister for the interim.[]
The next month, he once again led his party to a majority in the June Greek legislative election and was sworn in as prime minister again after receiving the order to form a government by the president.[][][]
In July , Mitsotakis announced that he intended to legalise same-sex marriage in Greece.[] On 17 September, Mitsotakis stated that the subject would be addressed in Greece within the next four years.[]
In October , Mitsotakis condemned the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel and expressed his support to Israel and "its right to self-defense".[] Greece agreed to participate in the next steps towards supporting NATO operations in the region, but later backed a ceasefire call through the United Nations.[]
In , his tenure continued with the introduction of landmark bills, focusing on the establishment of private academic institutions in Greece,[] as well as revisions to the tax and income systems.[] Additionally, legislation was proposed for same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, a move that was widely described as progressive.[][] However, these initiatives faced significant opposition from right-wing and hard-right factions within the party,[] as well as the Greek Orthodox church,[] who openly expressed their disagreement with the proposed legislation.[] To address these concerns and secure support ahead of the parliamentary vote, Mitsotakis took the unconventional step of organizing educational meetings for dissenting members, aiming to provide a detailed explanation of the potential benefits of the proposed bills for same-sex couples.[] According to journalistic sources, the educational initiative was not successful.[]
Prior to the government's plans to legalize private higher education systems, it came under criticism for allegedly violating Article 16 of the constitution.[] Legal experts and other political parties argued that the government was circumventing the constitution by introducing private institutions without first amending the constitution.[][] Some contended that amending the constitution was unfeasible due to the government's insufficient number of MPs in parliament.[] Mitsotakis's approach was viewed as a shortcut, which was widely considered unconstitutional, resulting in widespread protests against private institutions.[][][]
During a working visit to Ukraine on 6 March to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian missile exploded near his entourage, killing five people.[][]
In the European Parliament election, his party fell in popular support to 28%, compared to nearly 41% in the June legislative election; this was capitalized by centre-left parties (Syriza, PASOK) proposing a joint opposition against him in the next Greek legislative election.[]
The leaders discussed Middle East and Ukraine developments, reviewed bilateral relations, and agreed on enhancing trade and cooperation. They planned to meet again in September in New York. The Prime Minister emphasized resolving the Cyprus issue, highlighting its prolonged division.[]
Mitsotakis is the younger brother of former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mayor of AthensDora Bakoyannis, making him the brother-in-law of the late Pavlos Bakoyannis, who was assassinated by the terrorist group 17 November in and the uncle of Kostas Bakoyannis,[] former Regional Governor of Central Greece and former Mayor of Athens.
Mitsotakis is married to Mareva Grabowska, an investment banker with British, Greek, Polish and Egyptian roots. They have three children, Sophia, Konstantinos and Daphne.[]
In addition to Greek, Mitsotakis speaks English, French and some German.[]
This page incorporates information from the Hellenic Parliament website