Demetris Christofias
Dimitris Christofias (Greek Δημήτρης Χριστόφιας; born August 29, 1946 in Kato Dikomo, Cyprus) is a Cypriot politician. From February 28 2008 to February 27, 2013 he was President of the Republic of Cyprus.
He was from 1989 to 2009 Secretary General of the once Marxist-Leninist and now Euro -communist Progressive Party of the Working People ( AKEL ).
Life
Christofias was born as the eldest of five children in a working-class family in 1946 in Kato Dikomo today near the Turkish-occupied harbor town of Kyrenia. Early on he was enthusiastic about a left -wing politics and joined 18 -year-old into the AKEL. After a five-year study at the Institute of Social Sciences and the Academy of Social Sciences in Moscow, where he met his future wife Elsie Chiratou, and a PhD in history of philosophy, he returned back to Cyprus in 1974 to take up a career in politics.
Within his party Christofias succeeded a rapid ascent. In 1974 he became first Chief Secretary and Secretary General of the EDON 1977, a youth organization of AKEL, a post which he held until 1987. In April 1988, the line once loyal communist was elected after the death of Hezekiah Papaioannou to the top of AKEL General Secretary, he has since become. In 2001 he was elected as the first ever AKEL politician President of the Parliament, a more prestigious post, and was since then as the most promising candidate of his party for the office of President.
After the heavy ammunition explosion at the naval base Evangelos Florakis early July 11, 2011 he blame for the event was given. A day later attempted to storm the presidential palace thousands of demonstrators. He was accused that he had left stored inadequately in 2009 on a Russian freighter seized arms shipment to Syria on the naval base and not made for their destruction. As a result, determined an appointed by the Cabinet of independent law experts on the causes. In its investigation report on October 2, 2011, he gave Christofias responsibility for the accident. Christofias said the allegations are without substance, and retained his position further.
On 1 July 2012, the Republic took under his leadership, the EU Presidency.
Awards
- 2007: Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria