Kostas Karamanlis

Kostas Karamanlis was born in Athens in September 1956.

He graduated from the Experimental School of Athens.

He studied at the Athens School of Law and continued with postgraduate studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, U.S.A.

He is a member of the Macedonian Studies Society and a member-advisor of the “Kostantinos K. Karamanlis” Foundation for life.

During the period from 1974-1979, he was a leading member of the Nea Demokratia Youth Organization (ONNED) and was elected many times at the students syndicates with DAP-NDFK.

In 1986, he was elected President of the KIPEA peace movement and the Hellenic Center for the Promotion of the European Integration “Europe 92”.

From 1984 until 1989, he practiced law and contributed articles to the “Oikonomikos Tachydromos” periodical.

In June 1989, he was elected as a Member of the Parliament with Nea Demokratia at the First District of Thessaloniki.

He was also secretary of the Parliament’s Board in 1989 and secretary of Political Planning of Nea Demokratia.

In 1994, he was elected as member of the Central Committee of Nea Demokratia. On March 21, 1997 he was elected as President of the party by its 4th Congress.

In February 1999, he was elected as vice-chairman of the European People’s Party and, in 2002, he was re-elected in the same position.

In June 2002, he was elected as vice-chairman of the International Democrat Union.

In 2001, he was appointed by the European People’s Party as head of the Western Balkan Democracy Initiative (WBDI). In 2003, the European People’s Party, in recognition of his contribution, appointed him as Chairman of the Southeast European Forum.

On March 7, 2004, as leader of Nea Demokratia, he won the national elections by a percentage of 45.36%, thus securing a parliamentary majority of 164 seats over a total of 300. He was given the mandate to form a government by the President of the Republic and, on the March 10, he took the oath as Prime Minister and Minister of Culture.

He is married to Natasa Pazaiti and father of twins, a son and a daughter.