Maria Damanaki
Encyclopedia
Maria Damanaki is a Greek politician
, former president of the Synaspismos party of the radical left
and currently a state member of the Hellenic Parliament
within the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
(PASOK).
She was born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete
, in 1952, and studied chemical engineering
in the National Technical University of Athens
. As a student, she became a member of the Communist Youth of Greece
, the youth section of the Communist Party of Greece
(KKE), but also became actively involved in the antidictatorial struggle and took part in the Athens Polytechnic uprising
. Damanaki was the voice of the famous "Εδώ Πολυτεχνείο" ("This is the Polytechnic") radio broadcast from within the uprising, calling Greek citizens out to support; she was arrested and torture
d by the regime.
From 1977 to 1993 she was consistently elected member of the Hellenic Parliament, first with the Communist Party and then with Synaspismos, the new party she became president of in 1991. This made her Greece's first female party president.
In the Greek legislative election, 1993
, the failure of Synaspismos to pass the 3% threshold in order to enter in the parliament was a near disaster for the party, and Damanaki was personally held responsible. She resigned from the presidency and was succeeded by the lawyer Nikos Konstantopoulos
. Under the leadership of Konstantopoulos, Synaspismos managed to re-enter parliament in 1996.
She was a candidate mayor of Athens
twice, in 1994, supported by Synaspismos, and in 1998, supported by both Synaspismos and PASOK; in the latter year she came second, defeated by Dimitris Avramopoulos
, supported by the conservative party of New Democracy
.
Damanaki found herself disagreeing with many policies of Synaspismos with Konstantopoulos as president, notably the fact that the mainstream of the party and Konstantopoulos himself disfavoured the possibility of cooperation with PASOK, of which she was an ardent advocate. She was publicly expressing her annoyance against her own party's policies, creating a confusion amongst the Greek public as to Synaspismos' political profile.
In 2003, a few months before the election, she resigned from Synaspismos and gave up her seat in the parliament. When George Papandreou
succeeded Costas Simitis
to the leadership of PASOK, she decided to join with him, while after her departure from Synaspismos she had ruled out the prospect of her joining PASOK.
She was elected state MP in the same year's election, this time with PASOK, and integrated within PASOK's hierarchy quite successfully, undertaking many critical tasks of the opposition and parliamentary work. Currently, Damanaki is the coordinator of education and culture issues of PASOK. However, her acceptance by PASOK's supporter base is a matter of question, with low scores in popularity polls targeting PASOK's voters and many people suggesting that she would not be elected if she had personally to be voted in .¹
Maria Damanaki is also the writer of two books "The female face of power" (Το θηλυκό πρόσωπο της εξουσίας) in 1995 and "The return of Politics" (Η επιστροφή της Πολιτικής) in 2001, both in Greek.
In November 2009 she was nominated as the representative of Greece in the European Commission and on 27 November 2009 was nominated as the Commissioner-designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Politics of Greece
The Politics of Greece takes place in a large parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Hellenic Parliament...
, former president of the Synaspismos party of the radical left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
and currently a state member of the Hellenic Parliament
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament , also the Parliament of the Hellenes, is the Parliament of Greece, located in the Parliament House , overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece....
within the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
(PASOK).
She was born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia. In the year 2000, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed around 19,000...
, in 1952, and studied chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
in the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
. As a student, she became a member of the Communist Youth of Greece
Communist Youth of Greece
The Communist Youth of Greece, is the youth wing of the Communist Party of Greece .It publishes the monthly newspaper Odigitis and hosts Odigitis festivals in most of the major towns and cities of Greece....
, the youth section of the Communist Party of Greece
Communist Party of Greece
Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
(KKE), but also became actively involved in the antidictatorial struggle and took part in the Athens Polytechnic uprising
Athens Polytechnic uprising
The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta, anti-US and anti-imperialist revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November...
. Damanaki was the voice of the famous "Εδώ Πολυτεχνείο" ("This is the Polytechnic") radio broadcast from within the uprising, calling Greek citizens out to support; she was arrested and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by the regime.
From 1977 to 1993 she was consistently elected member of the Hellenic Parliament, first with the Communist Party and then with Synaspismos, the new party she became president of in 1991. This made her Greece's first female party president.
In the Greek legislative election, 1993
Greek legislative election, 1993
Legislative elections were held in the Hellenic Republic on October 10, 1993. At stake were 300 seats in the Greek parliament, the Voule.The Panhellenic Socialist Movement of Andreas Papandreou, was elected, defeating the conservative New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis.-Results:...
, the failure of Synaspismos to pass the 3% threshold in order to enter in the parliament was a near disaster for the party, and Damanaki was personally held responsible. She resigned from the presidency and was succeeded by the lawyer Nikos Konstantopoulos
Nikos Konstantopoulos
Nikos Konstantopoulos is a Greek politician, member of the Hellenic Parliament and former president of the left-wing Synaspismos.Born in 1942 in the village of Krestena, near Olympia, Konstantopoulos studied law in the University of Athens...
. Under the leadership of Konstantopoulos, Synaspismos managed to re-enter parliament in 1996.
She was a candidate mayor of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
twice, in 1994, supported by Synaspismos, and in 1998, supported by both Synaspismos and PASOK; in the latter year she came second, defeated by Dimitris Avramopoulos
Dimitris Avramopoulos
Dimitris Avramopoulos is a Greek politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Athens for eight years.-Personal information:He was born in Athens in 1953. He originated from Ilia, Arkadia. He served his military service in the Greek Air Force , based in Athens and in the NATO Headquarters in Brussels....
, supported by the conservative party of New Democracy
New Democracy (Greece)
New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
.
Damanaki found herself disagreeing with many policies of Synaspismos with Konstantopoulos as president, notably the fact that the mainstream of the party and Konstantopoulos himself disfavoured the possibility of cooperation with PASOK, of which she was an ardent advocate. She was publicly expressing her annoyance against her own party's policies, creating a confusion amongst the Greek public as to Synaspismos' political profile.
In 2003, a few months before the election, she resigned from Synaspismos and gave up her seat in the parliament. When George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
succeeded Costas Simitis
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos Simitis , usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis, was Prime Minister of Greece and leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement from 1996 to 2004.- Biography :...
to the leadership of PASOK, she decided to join with him, while after her departure from Synaspismos she had ruled out the prospect of her joining PASOK.
She was elected state MP in the same year's election, this time with PASOK, and integrated within PASOK's hierarchy quite successfully, undertaking many critical tasks of the opposition and parliamentary work. Currently, Damanaki is the coordinator of education and culture issues of PASOK. However, her acceptance by PASOK's supporter base is a matter of question, with low scores in popularity polls targeting PASOK's voters and many people suggesting that she would not be elected if she had personally to be voted in .¹
Maria Damanaki is also the writer of two books "The female face of power" (Το θηλυκό πρόσωπο της εξουσίας) in 1995 and "The return of Politics" (Η επιστροφή της Πολιτικής) in 2001, both in Greek.
In November 2009 she was nominated as the representative of Greece in the European Commission and on 27 November 2009 was nominated as the Commissioner-designate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
External links
- Maria Damanaki Official Media Gallery
- Maria Damanaki, her official site in Greek
- Curriculum vitae on the Hellenic Parliament website