parliamentary representative for New Democracy parliamentary representative for New Democracy
Kyriakos Mitsotakis took which position in Oct 2015?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis Kyriakos Mitsotakis ( ; born 4 March 1968 ) is a Greek politician and the Prime Minister of Greece since 8 July 2019 . A member of New Democracy , he has been its president since 2016 . Mitsotakis previously was Leader of the Opposition from 2016 to 2019 , and Minister of Administrative Reform from 2013 to 2015 . He was first elected to the Hellenic Parliament for the Athens B constituency in 2004 . After New Democracy suffered two election defeats in 2015 , he was elected the partys leader in January 2016 . Three years later , he led his party to a majority in the 2019 election . He is the son of former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis . Early life and education . Born in Athens , he is the son of the former Prime Minister of Greece and president of New Democracy , Konstantinos Mitsotakis , and his wife Marika ( née Giannoukou ) . At the time of his birth , his family had been placed under house arrest by the Greek military junta that had declared his father persona non grata and imprisoned him on the night of the coup . In 1968 , when he was only 1,2 year old , the family escaped to Turkey with the help of then Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil . After a while , they moved from Turkey to Paris and waited until 1974 to return to Greece after democracy had been restored . Later , Mitsotakis described the first six months of his life as political imprisonment . In 1986 , he graduated from Athens College . From 1986 to 1990 , he attended Harvard University and earned a bachelors degree in social studies , receiving the Hoopes Prize . From 1992 to 1993 he attended Stanford University , earning a Ford Dorsey Masters in International Policy . From 1993 to 1995 , he attended Harvard Business School , where he earned an MBA . Professional career . From 1990 to 1991 Kyriakos Mitsotakis worked as a financial analyst at the corporate finance division of Chase Bank in London . From 1991 to 1992 , Mitsotakis returned to Greece and joined the Hellenic Army to fulfil his mandatory national service obligations . From 1995 to 1997 , and following the completion of his post-graduate studies , he was employed by the consultancy McKinsey & Company in London , focusing primarily on the telecommunications and financial services industries . From 1997 to 1999 he worked for Alpha Ventures , a private equity subsidiary of Alpha Bank , as a senior investment officer , executing venture capital and private equity transactions . In 1999 he founded NBG Venture Capital , the private equity and venture capital subsidiary of the National Bank of Greece , and acted as its CEO , managing its portfolio and executing transactions in Greece and the Balkans , until April 2003 , when he resigned to pursue a career in politics . In January 2003 he was nominated by the World Economic Forum as a global leader of tomorrow . Political career . During the 2000 legislative election , Mitsotakis worked for New Democracys national campaign . In the 2004 legislative election , Mitsotakis ran in the Athens B constituency , receiving more votes than any other New Democracy candidate in the country and was elected to the Hellenic Parliament . Mitsotakis is honorary president of Konstantinos K . Mitsotakis Foundation , aiming at promoting the life and works of Konstantinos Mitsotakis and at reporting the modern political history of Greece . On 24 June 2013 , Mitsotakis was appointed as the Minister of Administrative Reform and e-Governance in Antonis Samaras cabinet , succeeding Antonis Manitakis . He served in this position until January 2015 . During this time , he pursued comprehensive national reforms by implementing a functional reorganization of institutions , structures and processes . He steadfastly supported the drastic downsizing of the Public Sector and the structural reform of the tax administration . In 2015 , Mitsotakis served as a parliamentary representative for New Democracy , representing the President of the party in Parliament , as well as the body of the partys Representatives . He was charged with expressing the positions of his party during Parliamentary procedures and discourse , as well as ensuring the proper function of Parliament through a process of checks and balances . In March 2015 , he claimed that then-Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis was undermining the Greek negotiations over the third bailout programme , saying : Every time he opens his mouth , he creates a problem for the country’s negotiating position . Mitsotakis was the first of four New Democracy members to announce their candidacy in the leadership election , declared following the resignation of Antonis Samaras as party leader and the failure of New Democracy in the September 2015 snap election . Amongst the other contestants was then-interim leader and former Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Vangelis Meimarakis . According to the Financial Times , Mitsotakis was billed as an outsider in the leadership race due to the party establishments support of Meimarakis candidacy . Following the first round of voting with no clear winner , Mitsotakis came second , 11% behind Meimarakis . On 10 January 2016 , Mitsotakis was elected president of the New Democracy political party succeeding Ioannis Plakiotakis ( transitional president ) with almost 4% difference from opponent Vangelis Meimarakis . A week following Mitsotakis election as leader , two opinion polls were published that put New Democracy ahead of Syriza for the first time in a year . His party won 33% of the votes in the European elections in 2019 . He managed to win back votes from the Golden Dawn Party . Following the election results , the Hellenic Parliament was dissolved and a snap election was called . Prime Minister of Greece . New Democracy was victorious in the 2019 legislative election , scoring 39.85% of votes and securing 158 seats in the Hellenic Parliament . On 8 July 2019 , Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos accepted Tsipras resignation and tasked Mitsotakis with forming a new government . Mitsotakis was sworn in as Prime Minister the same day as well . On 9 July , the ministers in his government were sworn in . There is a long-standing dispute between Turkey and Greece over natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean . Mitsotakis said that Turkey remains stuck in the logic of using force and threats . He told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Greece is contributing to NATO , we are an ally and have the expectation that when another NATO ally is behaving in a way that jeopardises our interests , NATO should not adopt this stance of equal distances and non-intervention in internal differences . It is deeply unfair to Greece . He awarded American actor Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson honorary Greek citizenship . COVID-19 response . Mitsotakis government has been praised for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as for its plans for spending a €31bn share of the EU’s Recovery Plan and for its orderly vaccination roll-out . Additionally , the common Covid-19 certificate was credited to Mitsotakis , and his idea has been taken up at a European level . Mitsotakis had criticized the initially slow pace of the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout , and he had called for its acceleration . Measures were implemented from March 2020 to May 2020 and from November 2020 until May 2021 , when their gradual lifting started . The measures included the introduction of various movement restrictions , the suspension of operation of retail , catering and entertainment businesses , as well as of schools and churches . In May 2021 the Mitsotakis government was initially criticized because , despite announcing the countrys opening for tourism on 14 May 2021 , it kept for a few days some movement restrictions such as the obligation to send an SMS . Other measures still in place and after the opening of tourism in country are the daily curfew starting at 00:30 , the obligatory use of face masks indoors and outdoors , the ban on music in cafes and restaurants , and the ban on the operation of indoor restaurants throughout May , while casinos are allowed to operate adhering to a specific sanitary protocol . On May 27 , 2021 , Mitsotakis in an interview in the German newspaper Bild did not give a clear answer as to when and if the above measures will be lifted in the summer , Mitsotakis stated , among other things , that there is a roadmap for lifting the measures , which he did not describe , he also estimated that tourism in 2021 will be around 50% of the tourism that Greece had in 2019 . Despite criticism , Greece was awarded the “Global Champion Award for COVID-19 Crisis Management” by the World Travel and Tourism Council , which lauded the Greek Government as a global example for the safe opening of the tourism sector during the pandemic . Gloria Guevara , WTTCs president and CEO , praised the Greek government for its tremendous efforts and strategic steps taken to restart international travel from May 14 . Personal life . Mitsotakis is the younger brother of former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mayor of Athens Dora Bakoyannis , making him the brother-in-law of the late Pavlos Bakoyannis , who was assassinated by the terrorist group 17 November in 1989 and the uncle of Kostas Bakoyannis , former Regional Governor of Central Greece and current Mayor of Athens . Mitsotakis is married to Mareva Grabowska , an investment banker with British , Greek , Polish and Egyptian roots . They have three children , Sophia , Constantine and Daphne . In addition to Greek , Mitsotakis speaks English , French and German . He is a Greek Orthodox Christian . Controversy . Siemens scandal allegations . In 2007 , it was reported that Mitsotakis was involved in the Siemens Greek bribery scandal . However , Mitsotakis has repeatedly denied any involvement and no indication of guilt has so far been proven . The Siemens trial , in which Mitsotakis is not involved , is still pending . Electronic office equipment , call centers , air conditioners etc . worth were received in the period preceding the 2007 elections ( June to September 2007 ) by Mitsotakis from Siemens and two of its subsidiaries . The invoices indicate payment period of up to 60 days , however no part of the amount was paid until February 2008 , when part of it was paid , just when the Siemens case was reopened by the courts , and an amount of €43,850 was paid by check from Mr . Mitsotakis on Monday June 2 . Earlier ( on 29 May ) testimonies had been made about donations and grants by Siemens to politicians and on 30 May 2008 the prosecutors investigation took place at the companys offices .