Kostas Karamanlis, whose full name is Konstantinos Alexandrou Karamanlis, was born on September 14, 1956, in Athens, Greece. He is a Greek politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of Greece from March 10, 2004, to October 6, 2009. He was the leader of the center-right New Democracy party between 1997 and 2009 and represented Thessaloniki in the Greek Parliament from 1989 to 2023. His uncle, Konstantinos Karamanlis, founded New Democracy and served as President of Greece from 1980 to 1985 and again from May 5, 1990, to March 10, 1995.

Early Life and Education

Kostas Karamanlis was born on September 14, 1956, in Athens, Greece. His father, Alexandros Karamanlis, was a lawyer and businessman, while his mother was Aliki Georgouli. His father was the brother of Konstantinos Karamanlis, who served as Prime Minister and President of Greece. Kostas also has an older brother, Giorgos Karamanlis, a civil engineer.

He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and economics at Deree College, an American educational institution in Greece.

Between 1980 and 1984, he continued his education in the United States at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a master's degree in political science and economics and a doctorate in international relations and diplomatic history.

During the 1980s, he also taught subjects including political science, diplomatic history, and business law at Deree College. From 1987 to 1989, he practiced law in Greece.

Beginning of His Political Career

Kostas Karamanlis became involved in politics through the youth organization of the New Democracy party, which his uncle, Konstantinos Karamanlis, had founded in 1974.

Between 1974 and 1979, he participated in the organizational and ideological activities of the party's youth wing. He resumed these activities between 1984 and 1989 and was also involved in student political organizations.

In the parliamentary elections of June 1989, he was elected to the Hellenic Parliament as a representative of Thessaloniki's First Electoral District. He subsequently won re-election in 1990, 1993, 1996, and 2000, continuing his parliamentary career in later elections.

In 1989, he also served as a secretary of the Greek Parliament and participated in Greece's parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe.

Leader of New Democracy

In 1995, Kostas Karamanlis was elected to the Central Committee of New Democracy. On March 21, 1997, he became the party's president, succeeding Miltiadis Evert.

As party leader, Karamanlis headed the parliamentary opposition to the governments of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), led by Prime Minister Costas Simitis.

New Democracy lost the April 2000 parliamentary elections, but Karamanlis remained its leader. The party returned to government following the March 2004 general election.

Prime Minister of Greece (2004–2009)

On March 7, 2004, New Democracy won the Greek parliamentary elections, defeating the ruling PASOK government. Kostas Karamanlis was sworn in as Prime Minister on March 10, 2004, succeeding Costas Simitis.

He initially also held the position of Minister of Culture, serving in that capacity until February 2006.

During his premiership, Greece hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. His administration dealt with economic policy, public infrastructure, energy projects, relations with the European Union, and Greece's international diplomatic relationships.

In the parliamentary elections of September 16, 2007, New Democracy retained power, winning 152 seats in the 300-member parliament. Karamanlis formed a second government and continued as Prime Minister.

His second term coincided with the international financial crisis that began in 2008. Greece faced increasing concerns about public finances, government debt, and economic growth.

Relations with Turkey

During his time as Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis held diplomatic meetings with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Relations between the two neighboring countries included discussions on trade, tourism, the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, and Turkey's relationship with the European Union.

On July 11, 2004, Karamanlis attended the wedding of Esra Erdoğan, daughter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Berat Albayrak at the Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul.

Karamanlis served as one of the witnesses at the marriage ceremony, alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Năstase, and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül.

The ceremony was officiated by Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş. Karamanlis's participation was reported by Greek and Turkish news organizations as an unusual diplomatic occasion involving the leaders of the two countries.

2009 Election and Resignation

In September 2009, Kostas Karamanlis announced early parliamentary elections, which were held on October 4, 2009.

New Democracy received approximately 33.5 percent of the vote and won 91 parliamentary seats. The opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), led by George Papandreou, won the election with approximately 43.9 percent of the vote and secured 160 seats.

Following the election defeat, Karamanlis announced his resignation as leader of New Democracy. His premiership ended on October 6, 2009, when George Papandreou took office.

Karamanlis was succeeded as New Democracy leader by Antonis Samaras, who won the party's leadership election in November 2009.

Later Political Career

After leaving the premiership, Kostas Karamanlis remained a member of the Greek Parliament, representing Thessaloniki.

He continued serving as a New Democracy parliamentarian until 2023. In February of that year, he announced that he would not stand as a candidate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, ending a parliamentary career that had begun in 1989.

Personal Life

Kostas Karamanlis married Natasa Pazaïti in 1998. The couple has twins, a son named Alexandros and a daughter named Aliki, born in 2003.

In addition to Greek, Karamanlis speaks English, German, and French.

Books

1995 - Eleftherios Venizelos and Greek Foreign Relations, 1928–1932 (Ο Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος και οι εξωτερικές μας σχέσεις 1928–1932)

Political Career

1974–1979 - Member, New Democracy Youth Organization
1984–1989 - Active in New Democracy Youth Organization
1989–2023 - Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Thessaloniki A
1995 - Member, New Democracy Central Committee
1997–2009 - President, New Democracy
March 10, 2004 – October 6, 2009 - Prime Minister of Greece
March 10, 2004 – February 15, 2006 - Minister of Culture

Source: Biyografiler.com