Georgios Souflias

Georgios Souflias (Greek Γεώργιος Σουφλιάς, * July 7, 1941 in Agia Triada Farsalon at Larissa ) is a Greek politician. He has held various ministerial posts in the conservative governments in 1989 until 2009.

Souflias comes from the population of Sarakatsani. He completed his engineering studies at the National Technical University of Athens. From 1966 to 1974 he worked as an engineer in Larisa. In the parliamentary elections in 1974, he was first elected as a Member of the conservative New Democracy party in the Greek Parliament. From November 1977 to May 1980 he was Secretary of State at the Home Office, then to September 1981 at the Ministry of Coordination.

In the governments of Tzannis Tzannetakis, Xenophon Zolotas and Konstantinos Mitsotakis he held the following ministerial posts from:

  • Minister of Economic Affairs in July 1989 - October 1989 and April 1990 - October 1990
  • Finance November 1989 - February 1990
  • Minister of Tourism April 1990 - May 1990
  • Education and Minister of Religion January 1991 - October 1993

1997 was a candidate for the party presidency Souflias New Democracy, but lost Kostas Karamanlis. In February 1998, he was ruled out with two other MPs from the party because he had not voted along party lines. In the parliamentary elections of 2000 he decided not to run this. In a public invitation of Kostas Karamanlis, he joined in April 2001, the party in back and headed the policy planning office of the New Democracy party, which was then in opposition.

In the parliamentary elections in Greece in 2004 he was re-elected as a Member of the New Democracy party. In the governments of Kostas Karamanlis 2004-2009 Souflias was Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works. In the early parliamentary elections in 2009, when his party lost the parliamentary majority, he was indeed re-elected, retired, however, from all political offices back after he was blamed for the defeat because he had advised Kostas Karamanlis for the early elections.

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