Costas Simitis, the former Prime Minister of Greece and a key figure in the country’s transition to the euro, passed away at the age of 88, as reported by state broadcaster ERT.
Simitis was taken to a hospital in Corinth early Sunday morning, arriving unconscious and without a pulse, according to the hospital’s director. An autopsy is expected to clarify the cause of his death.
In honor of his passing, the government has declared a four-day official mourning period, and he will be granted a state funeral.
A flood of tributes poured in, even from those who were not his political allies. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his condolences on Facebook, stating, “I bid farewell to Costas Simitis with sadness and respect. A worthy and noble political opponent,” highlighting Simitis’s reputation as a “good professor and moderate parliamentarian.”
Dimitris Avramopoulos, a former European Commissioner and conservative politician, recalled their effective collaboration during the organization of the Olympic Games while he was mayor of Athens. “He served the country with devotion and a sense of duty. He was steadfast in facing difficult challenges and promoted policies that changed the lives of many citizens,” he remarked.
Simitis was a founding member of the Socialist PASOK party in 1974 and would later succeed its original leader, Andreas Papandreou. Their relationship was complex, with Simitis embodying a pragmatic approach that contrasted sharply with Papandreou’s charismatic populism. Despite Papandreou’s initial resistance to Greece’s European integration, he eventually shifted his stance upon becoming Prime Minister.
Following a period of economic distress during the socialist administration from 1981 to 1985, Simitis was appointed as finance minister to lead a stringent austerity program. His efforts yielded improved finances and moderated inflation, but he ultimately resigned in 1987 due to conflicting political strategies with Papandreou before the election.
The socialists returned to power in 1993 under Papandreou, who departed from the premiership in January 1996 due to health issues. Simitis unexpectedly emerged as his successor after two tightly contested rounds of voting among the party’s lawmakers, holding office until 2004.
Simitis considered Greece’s entry into the eurozone in January 2001 to be a hallmark of his tenure. He also played a significant role in securing the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and oversaw a substantial infrastructure development program, which included a new airport and two subway lines to facilitate the event. Moreover, he was instrumental in Cyprus’s accession to the European Union in 2004.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides honored Simitis as an “outstanding leader” who contributed significantly to both Greece and Cyprus’s histories. He praised Simitis’s calm demeanor, which was tempered by a commitment to modernization and reform.
However, Simitis faced criticism from both the right and left, particularly over a controversial debt swap that occurred after Greece joined the eurozone, and which some viewed as an attempt to manipulate the country’s financial statistics.
Ultimately, internal opposition within his own party, particularly regarding pension reform in 2001, significantly weakened Simitis’ government. He chose not to seek re-election in 2004, leaving his post five months prior to the Olympics to avoid a likely defeat by conservatives.
George Papandreou, the son of the founding leader of the socialist party, succeeded Simitis but later expelled him from the PASOK parliamentary group in 2008 due to disagreements over policy, including a proposed referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. Simitis retired from parliament in 2009, but he notably cautioned that Greece’s financial mismanagement would lead to oversight by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a prediction that materialized in 2010 when the IMF and the EU imposed stringent measures on a financially crippled Greece.
Born on June 23, 1936, Simitis was the younger son of politically active parents. His father, Georgios, was involved in the leftist resistance during the German occupation, while his mother, Fani, was a prominent feminist.
His educational journey included studying law at the University of Marburg in the 1950s and pursuing economics and politics at the London School of Economics in the early 1960s. Simitis later taught law at the University of Athens. He is survived by his wife of six decades, Daphne, alongside two daughters and a granddaughter.
