Evangelos Venizelos
Evangelos Venizelos (Greek: Ευάγγελος Βενιζέλος, born on January 1,1957 in Thessaloniki) is a Greek politician, lawyer and university professor. He is the President of the PASOK Party (Panhellenic Socialist Movement). Since June 2013, he has held the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Political Career[edit]
His political career began in 1990 with his election to the Central Committee of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). In the 1993 parliamentary elections, he was elected as a member of the National Assembly, representing the first constituency of the city of Thessaloniki. On October 13, 1993, he was appointed deputy Minister to the Prime Minister's Office, responsible for press affairs and consequently spokesman for the government. On July 8, 1994, he was appointed Minister for Press and Media Affairs, keeping his spokesperson duties. During his time in office, he forwarded the Bill on Mass Media, which was passed before the Parliament and turned to an institutional Law (published in the Government Gazette on August 3, 1995). In September 1995 he was appointed Minister of Transportation and Communications, a post in which he served on until January 1996, when he took office as Minister of Justice. In the 1996 parliamentary elections he was re-elected as an MP (first in votes in the first constituency of Thessaloniki) and on September 25, 1996, he was appointed Minister of Culture. From February 19, 1999 until April 13, 2000 he served as Minister of Development. He was again elected as an MP in the 2000 parliamentary elections and on November 20, 2000 he took office again as Minister of Culture & Sports in charge of coordinating the entire range of aspects of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games preparations, including infrastructure and relations with the International Olympic Committee (2000-2004). From 2009 to 2011 he served as Minister for National Defence (2009-2011), while in the following year he held the posts of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister (2011-2012).
Evangelos Venizelos has served as a member of the Central Committee of PASOK and a member of the PASOK Executive Office. On 18 March 2012 he was elected President of PASOK.
Evangelos Venizelos was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs on 25 June 2013.
Academic Career[edit]
He graduated from the University of Thessaloniki Law School in 1978 and continued with postgraduate studies at the University of Paris II. In 1980 he was proclaimed Doctor of Law at the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he was elected lecturer, in 1984, and, later, professor of Constitutional Law. Concurrently, he served as lawyer to the State Council and the Supreme Court.
