Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος | |
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President of Greece | |
In office 10 March 1995 – 12 March 2005 | |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
Succeeded by | Karolos Papoulias |
Minister of the Presidency | |
In office 28 November 1977 – 21 October 1981 | |
Prime Minister | |
Preceded by | Georgios Rallis |
Succeeded by | Menios Koutsogiorgas |
Minister of Social Services | |
In office 10 September 1976 – 28 November 1977 | |
Prime Minister | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
Preceded by | Konstantinos Chrysanthopoulos |
Succeeded by | Spyridon Doxiadis |
Minister of the Interior | |
In office 21 November 1974 – 10 September 1976 | |
Prime Minister | Konstantinos Karamanlis |
Preceded by | Christoforos Stratos |
Succeeded by | Ippokratis Iordanoglou |
Personal details | |
Born | Patras, Greece | 15 August 1926
Died | 20 November 2016 Athens, Greece | (aged 90)
Political party |
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Alma mater | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |
Signature |
Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος (Κωστής) Στεφανόπουλος, 15 August 1926 – 20 Νovember 2016) was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the President of Greece, from 1995 to 2005.
Life and career[]
Stephanopoulos was born in Patras on 15 August 1926 to the lawyer and radiologist People's Party Member of Parliament , 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 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, he officially declared the 2004 Athens Olympics open, on 13 August 2004.
Stephanopoulos died at 23:18 in , 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 Stounopoulou, 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.
- Poland : Order of the White Eagle (1996)[7]
- Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (21 February 1997)[8]
- Philippines : Order of Sikatuna (23 June 1997)[9]
- Spain : Collar of the Order of Charles III (22 May 1998)[10]
- 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]
- Slovenia : Golden Order of Freedom (1999).[12]
- Austria : Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1999)[13]
- Romania : Collar of Order of the Star of Romania (1999)[14]
- Sweden : Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (24 April 1999)
- Estonia : Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (4 May 1999)[15]
- Lithuania : Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1 July 1999)[8]
- Slovakia : Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2000)[16]
- Portugal : Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (21 February 2000)
- Italy : Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (23 January 2001)
- Iceland : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (18 September 2001)[17]
- Vatican : Knight with the Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX (2002)
- Malta : National Order of Merit (Malta) (5 September 2002)[18]
- Norway : Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (7 June 2004)[19]
- Luxembourg : Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau[20]
- Latvia : Grand Cross Order of the Three Stars[21]
- Albania : Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana on the occasion of his state visit to Albania.[22]
- Azerbaijan : Honorary Doctor Degree, Azerbaijan State University of Economics
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h "Πέθανε ο πρώην Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας Κωστής Στεφανόπουλος". in.gr. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Κοινοβουλευτική Θητεία Βουλευτών Από Τη Μεταπολίτευση Ως Σήμερα". www.parliament.gr. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Ο Γ. Παπανδρέου δημοφιλέστερος πολιτικός, Online
- ^ Πρώτος σε δημοτικότητα ο Κ. Στεφανόπουλος, Imerisia Online
- ^ "Former Greek President Constantine Stephanopoulos dies at 90". Washington Post. 20 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ "ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ: Έφυγε από τη ζωή ο πρώην Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας Κωστής Στεφανόπουλος". www.amna.gr. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 21 października 1996 r. o nadaniu orderu". prawo.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentė". grybauskaite1.lrp.lt. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-order-of-sikatuna/[bare URL]
- ^ "BOE.es - Documento BOE-A-1998-12051". www.boe.es. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Odluka o odlikovanju Njegove Ekselencije Constantinosa Stephanopoulosa, predsjednika Helenske Republike Veleredom kralja Tomislava s lentom i Velikom Danicom". narodne-novine.nn.hr. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Seznam vseh odlikovancev od leta 1992 do decembra 2012" (in Slovenian). President of the Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ https://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf[bare URL]
- ^ "DECRET nr.202 din 15 iunie 1999 privind conferirea Ordinului naţional Steaua României în grad de Colan". www.cdep.ro. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Vabariigi President". www.president.ee. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ 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 Archived 26 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ (PDF). 4 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212501/http://opm.gov.mt/en/Documents/Past%20recipients%20of%20Honorary%20honours_awards.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2019. Missing or empty
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(help) - ^ "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer". www.kongehuset.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ www.gouvernement.lu/ Archived 1 August 2012 at archive.today, State visit of President Stephanopoulos in Luxembourg, July 2001
- ^ "Triju Zvaigžņu ordeņa domē". LIKUMI.LV (in Latvian). Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana, 19.10.2004 Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
- Media related to Konstantinos Stefanopoulos at Wikimedia Commons
- 1926 births
- 2016 deaths
- 20th-century presidents of Greece
- 21st-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
- Politicians from Patras
- Presidents of 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)