Antonis Samaras is a Greek politician who was the country’s Prime Minister between June 2012 until January 2015. He had previously served as Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Culture and Sports, among other positions. He had a privileged upbringing, being born into a wealthy family as the son of a professor. He was a physically fit young man who competed in tennis as a teenager, winning the Greek Teen Tennis Championship at the age of 17. Determined and ambitious, he pursued his higher education in the United States, earning an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. After finishing his education, he moved into business, initially starting a pizzeria that became very successful. His interests eventually shifted to politics, and at the age of 26, he was elected to the Greek parliament as a New Democracy MP. He became the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in two successive governments within a few years. He then split from the New Democracy party in a contentious decision, only to return after a few years. In 2012, he was elected to the position of Prime Minister of Greece, achieving his biggest political ambition.
Childhood and Adolescence
He was born in Athens, Greece, on May 23, 1951, to Dr. Konstantinos Samaras, a Professor of Cardiology, and Lena Zannas. Alexander is his only sibling.
His family was well-connected and wealthy, and he had a happy upbringing. He was a very active and athletic young man who enjoyed tennis. In fact, at the age of 17, he won the Greek Teen Tennis Championship.
Before traveling to the United States to seek higher education, he attended Athens College, one of Europe’s most elite colleges. He got a B.A. in economics from Amherst College in 1974 and then moved on to Harvard University, where he earned an MBA in 1976.
Career of Antonis Samaras
He was elected to the Hellenic Parliament representing Messenia in 1977 as a member of the conservative New Democracy party. In 1989, he was promoted to Finance Minister, and in 1990, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy government.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he sparked debate over the “Macedonian Question,” which concerned the usage of the term Macedonia by Greece and the Republic of Macedonia throughout the Balkans. Because of this issue, he was removed from his post, which remains a thorny diplomatic situation to this day.
After being kicked out of New Democracy, he formed his own conservative political party, “Political Spring,” in June 1993. In 1993, the government fell from power due to the defection of one Member of Parliament from New Democracy to Samaras’ party.
In the 1993 general election, the Political Spring party received 4.9 percent of the vote, obtaining 10 seats in the Greek Parliament, and 8.7% in the 1994 European Parliament elections.
However, the party began to decline after failing to meet the 3% barrier required to enter parliament in the 1996 general election, with only 2.94 percent of the vote. With only 2.3 percent of the vote in the 1999 European Parliament elections, the party’s performance was once again abysmal.
Political Spring did not run in the general election in 2000 and was disbanded before the general election of 2004. He re-joined the New Democracy party and pledged his allegiance to it once more. In the 2004 European elections, he was elected as an MEP (Member of the European Parliament).
In the 2007 Greek legislative election, he was elected to the Greek Parliament representing Messenia, and as a result, he resigned from the European Parliament. In 2009, he was appointed Minister of Culture following a reshuffle.
After losing the 2009 legislative election, Kostas Karamanlis resigned as the party’s leader. As a result, a leadership race erupted, with Samaras running for the position. On November 30, 2009, he was chosen as the new head of the New Democracy party.
Following the May 2012 legislative election, the New Democracy party became the largest party in the Hellenic Parliament. Samaras was urged by Greek President Karolos Papoulias to try to form a cabinet, but he officially announced that he was relinquishing the mandate.
In June 2012, legislative elections were held for the second time, and New Democracy came out on top with 129 seats, up from 108 in the May election. Samaras became Prime Minister of Greece on June 20, 2012, and remained in office until January 26, 2015, when he handed over the reins to Alexis Tsipras after his party lost the national elections.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1989, he met Georgia Kritikos, the daughter of business magnate Akis Kritikos, the owner of the well-known canning company “Kyknos,” at a political party and fell in love with her right away. The pair married in 1990 and has two children together. Georgia, a civil engineer by trade, has been a staunch supporter of her husband throughout his political career.
Antonis Samaras Net Worth
Antonis Samaras is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most well-known. Antonis Samaras’ net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.