Kostas Simitis, the socialist and former prime minister who was the driving force behind Greece's entry into the euro, has died at the age of 88.
Simitis was taken from his villa west of Athens early Sunday to a hospital in the city of Corinth, unconscious and without a pulse, the hospital director told Greek media. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
The government has declared a four-day official mourning period. Simitis will receive a state funeral.
Warm compliments were received from all major Greek political parties. “It is with sadness and respect that we say goodbye to Kostas Simitis. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a worthy and noble political opponent,” he said in a Facebook post, adding that he was “an excellent professor and moderate member of parliament.” Showed respect.
Another conservative politician, former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, recalled working “seamlessly and warmly” with Simitis on organizing the Olympic Games as mayor of Athens.
“He served his country with dedication and a sense of duty. … He stood resolutely against difficult challenges and promoted policies that changed the lives of (many) people,” Avramopoulos added.
A co-founder of the Socialist Party Pasok in 1974, Simitis eventually succeeded party founder Andreas Papandreou, with whom he often had a contentious relationship. Simitis was a modest realist, while Papandreou was a charismatic and ardent populist. Papandreou strongly opposed Greece's participation in the then-European Economic Community in the 1970s, but changed his mind when he became prime minister, while remaining ardently pro-European.
Simitis, a law professor and reformist, became Prime Minister Pasok in 1996 and served as prime minister until 2004.
During his time in power, Simitis cut the budget deficit and public debt to help Athens qualify for euro zone membership.
Andreas' son George Papandreou succeeded Simitis as party leader, but was expelled from the Pasok caucus in 2008 after the two men clashed over policy, including Papandreou's proposal to hold a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty. It was done. Simitis left parliament in 2009, warning that fiscal mismanagement would put the country under scrutiny by the International Monetary Fund.
After Greece's debt ratings collapsed in 2010 and the EU and IMF imposed tough economic measures, his critics on the right and left did everything in their power to denigrate his achievements.
Mr Simitis has fiercely defended his record and in 2012 published a book criticizing Greek politicians and the EU's handling of the crisis. In his book, Derailed, he accused the European Commission of turning a blind eye to the overspending by his conservative successors.
Simitis was born on June 23, 1936, the second son of two politically active parents. Her father, Georgios, a lawyer, was a member of the left-wing resistance “government” during the German occupation, and her mother, Fani, was an active feminist.
Simitis is survived by his wife of 60 years, Daphne, two daughters and a granddaughter.
