Costas Simitis

Born 23 Jun 1936 · Piraeus, Greece

Konstantinos Simitis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Σημίτης; 23 June 1936 – 5 January 2025) was a Greek politician who led the 'Modernization' movement of Greece. He succeeded in leadership Andreas Papandreou, the founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), and served as Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004.

Simitis was a founding member of PASOK, and he gained significant ministerial experience in Papandreou's governments. Simitis' reputation was marked when he became Minister of National Economy in 1985 when PASOK's profligacy needed a new financial 'stability' imposed through an economic adjustment programme. With stability achieved and the party's popularity waning, Papandreou distanced himself from Simitis' policies, and Simitis resigned.

In 1996, Simitis won the leadership of PASOK after Papandreou's failing health. However, the leadership transition from Papandreou to Simitis was confrontational by Papandreou's loyalists, who wanted to prevent such a transition from being realized. Simitis lacked his predecessor's charisma, and the fractured party's support limited many of his actions in government. However, by the end of his tenure in 2004, Simitis had several significant achievements and reforms in the wider society and economy to proclaim. After two decades of the exuberant rhetoric of Simitis' predecessors and financial stagnation, the Greek economy was put …