Costas Simitis
Constantinos Simitis was born in Piraeus in June 23, 1936.
Profession: Lawyer, University Professor
Studies: He studied Law in Marburg University of Germany (1959) and Economics in London School of Economics.
He speaks English, French and German
He was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament representing PASOK in Piraeus district in the elections of 1985,1989,1993,2004 and 2007. In January 1996 he was elected as Prime Minister by the Parliamentary Group of PASOK to succeed Premier Andreas Papandreou. Following Papandreou’s death in June 1996, he was elected PASOK’s party leader. He resigned from office in 2004 after eight years of premiership in order to support the renewal of the party.
Before becoming Prime Minister he served in a number of ministerial posts: Minister of Agriculture (1981-1985), Minister of National Economy (1985-1987), Minister of Education (1989-1990), Minister of Commerce (1993-1995), Minister of Industry & Technology (1993-1995).
In the late 1960’s he was involved in activities against the Greek junta and he avoided arrest by fleeing abroad. He became a law professor in Germany (1971-1975) and professor of Business Law at the Panteion University, Athens (1977-1981). He was a founding member (1974) of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Greece’s Socialist Party. He is the author of a large number of books and articles.