Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greek: Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, IPA: [cirˈʝakos mit͡soˈtacis]) is a Greek politician who has been the prime minister of Greece since July 2019, except for a month between May and June 2023. He leads the New Democracy party, which is associated with the centre-right and supports economically liberal policies.

Before becoming prime minister, Mitsotakis served as the Leader of the Official Opposition and as Minister of Administrative Reform from 2013 to 2015. He is the son of the late Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who was also Prime Minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993.

Mitsotakis has been praised for modernizing and digitalizing Greece's public administration and managing the economy well. However, he has also faced criticism for some of his policies and for how his government has handled certain events, such as the 2022 wiretapping scandal, the Tempi train crash, and wildfires in Greece.

Early life and education

Kyriakos Mitsotakis was born in Athens on 4 March 1968. His father was a former Prime Minister of Greece and president of the New Democracy party. When Kyriakos was very young, his family had to leave Greece because of political troubles. They first went to Turkey and later moved to Paris before returning to Greece in 1973.

He finished his school years at Athens College. He then went to Harvard University, where he studied social studies and earned a bachelor's degree. Later, he studied at Stanford University and Harvard Business School, where he earned a business degree.

Professional career

Kyriakos Mitsotakis started his career in 1990 as a financial analyst at Chase Bank in London. After a short time in the Hellenic Army for his national service, he worked with McKinsey & Company in London, helping with big projects in phone services and financial services.

Later, he joined Alpha Ventures, a part of Alpha Bank, and became a leader there. In 1999, he created NBG Venture Capital for the National Bank of Greece and led it until 2003 when he decided to begin his political career. In 2003, the World Economic Forum chose him as a leader for the future.

Political career

Kyriakos Mitsotakis started his political work during the 2000 legislative election, helping New Democracy's national campaign. In the 2004 legislative election, he ran in the Athens B area and got more votes than any other New Democracy candidate that year, winning a seat in the Hellenic Parliament.

In June 2013, Mitsotakis became the Minister of Administrative Reform and e-Governance in Antonis Samaras's government. He held this role until January 2015, working on important changes to improve how government institutions worked. He also supported making the public sector smaller and changing how taxes were managed.

In 2015, Mitsotakis served as a representative for New Democracy in Parliament. In January 2016, he was elected president of the New Democracy party. His party later won a significant number of votes in the 2019 European elections.

Scandals and controversies

Press freedom

When Kyriakos Mitsotakis was in charge, Greece's press freedom got worse. There were more reports of violence against journalists. His government gave money to media groups that supported them, and spent over €20 million on media that agreed with the government at the start of the pandemic. In November 2021, a new law was made to punish people who spread "fake news." This law could send people to prison for up to five years if they shared information that might worry the public or weaken trust in Greece's economy, defense, or health. Mitsotakis said the law might have been a mistake, but it has not been changed.

Migration

Mitsotakis took a firm stand on the European Migrant Crisis by trying to stop thousands of migrants from entering Greece. His government said they did not do this. He got praise from the European Union and received €700 million in support.

Wiretapping scandal

Main article: 2022 Greek wiretapping scandal

In July 2022, it was found that an attempt was made to put secret listening software on the phone of a political leader. The head of Greece's intelligence service admitted that his team had watched a journalist. After more information came out, a close helper of Mitsotakis resigned, and the head of the intelligence service also left. Mitsotakis worked to stop any full investigation into what happened. The situation got a lot of attention around the world because many actions after the news came out seemed to try to hide what really happened. In January 2023, even though many people wanted the government to be held responsible, Mitsotakis's team stayed in power after a vote.

Mandatory COVID-19 measures and vaccinations

In December 2020, Mitsotakis faced criticism when a photo showed him and others not wearing masks during a time when masks were required everywhere in Greece. In February 2021, he visited an island and had a lunch with many people, which broke the rules that were in place to stop the spread of the virus. Mitsotakis said he was sorry for this and promised it would not happen again.

When Greece opened up for tourism in May 2021, some rules were still in place, like curfews and wearing masks. Mitsotakis did not clearly say when these rules would end. Greece received an award for managing the pandemic and opening tourism safely. He was also praised for creating a vaccine pass, which many countries in the European Union later used.

Train collision

Main article: 2023 Tempi train crash

On 28 February 2023, a freight train and a passenger train ended up on the same track and crashed, killing 57 people near Tempi. Mitsotakis apologized for what happened, took responsibility, and promised to improve the rail system with more than 270 million euros for new staff and technology.

Prime Minister of Greece

First term (2019–2023)

New Democracy won the 2019 Greek parliamentary election, getting most of the votes and seats in the Hellenic Parliament.

On 8 July 2019, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos asked Mitsotakis to form a new government. Mitsotakis became prime minister that same day. The ministers in his government were sworn in on 9 July. One minister, Makis Voridis, was from a far-right group and faced cool reactions from other countries and Greece’s Jewish community. Israel said it would not work with him.

From 2019, Mitsotakis started selling some state-owned buildings, land, and shares in companies. He also changed tax laws to make Greece more attractive to rich investors by offering lower taxes. His government passed laws making it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers and changed laws about strikes and agreements between workers and bosses.

Mitsotakis’s government was praised for how it handled the COVID-19 pandemic, using money from the EU’s Recovery Plan and organizing vaccines well. During the pandemic, rules were put in place from March to May 2020 and again from November 2020 to May 2021. These rules included limits on moving around, closing some shops, restaurants, schools, and churches.

There has been a long dispute between Turkey and Greece over resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis told NATO that Greece expects help when another NATO country behaves in a way that hurts Greece’s interests.

In July 2020, Mitsotakis gave American actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, honorary Greek citizenship. On 16 May 2022, Mitsotakis met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. The next day, he became the first Greek prime minister to speak to a Joint session of the United States Congress.

During his time as prime minister, Mitsotakis has received praise and criticism. Some liked his support for Europe, his focus on efficiency, and his handling of the pandemic. Greece was named the Top Economic Performer for 2022 by The Economist. But he has also faced criticism for corruption, problems with press freedom, and issues with migration policies.

2023 elections

Main articles: May 2023 Greek legislative election and June 2023 Greek legislative election

Mitsotakis asked to dissolve the Parliament in April 2023, leading to elections on 21 May. New Democracy won the most votes but not enough for a majority. No coalition was formed, so Mitsotakis called for another election in June. He led his party to a majority in the June election and became prime minister again.

Second term (2023–present)

In July 2023, Mitsotakis said he wanted to allow same-sex marriage in Greece. He said this would happen in the next four years.

In October 2023, Mitsotakis spoke out against attacks on Israel and showed support for the country. Greece agreed to help NATO operations in the area but later supported a call for a ceasefire.

In 2024, Mitsotakis continued with new plans for private schools and changes to taxes and income rules. He also suggested allowing same-sex marriage and adoption, which was seen as progressive but faced opposition from some in his party and the Greek Orthodox Church.

Before planning private universities, Mitsotakis’s government faced criticism for possibly breaking the constitution. Some said changing the constitution was needed first, but Mitsotakis’s way was seen as a shortcut, leading to protests.

In March 2024, during a visit to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Russian missile exploded near his group, killing five people.

In the 2024 European Parliament election, his party’s support dropped to 28%, compared to nearly 41% in the June 2023 legislative election. Centre-left parties like Syriza and PASOK planned to work together against him in future elections.

In May 2024, Mitsotakis met with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. They talked about issues in the Middle East and Ukraine and agreed to improve trade and cooperation. They planned to meet again in September in New York. Mitsotakis emphasized solving the Cyprus problem.

On 20 July 2024, Mitsotakis visited Cyprus to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He said Greeks will keep working until Cyprus is reunited.

On 30 March 2025, Mitsotakis met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. They talked about strengthening ties between Greece and Israel, especially in defense. This meeting caused some controversy because Netanyahu was wanted by the International Criminal Court for actions in the Gaza war.

In March 2026, Mitsotakis said controlling Iran’s nuclear and missile programs is needed for peace in the region. This came after joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran started on 28 February 2026.

Personal life

Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the younger brother of Dora Bakoyannis, who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Mayor of Athens. His sister was married to Pavlos Bakoyannis, who passed away in 1989.

Mitsotakis is married to Mareva Grabowska, who works as an investment banker. They have three children named Sophia, Konstantinos, and Daphne. Besides his native Greek, Mitsotakis can speak English, French, and some German.

Venizelos/Mitsotakis family tree