Konstantinos Mitsotakis was born on 31 October 1918 in Halepa, Chania, Crete, into a prominent political family. His grandfather, Kostis Mitsotakis, was a lawyer and journalist who co-founded the Liberal Party with Eleftherios Venizelos. His father, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also served as a member of Parliament and was involved in the Cretan volunteers during the First Balkan War. Mitsotakis graduated in law and economics from the University of Athens.He began his political career in 1946 when he was elected to the Greek Parliament as a member of the Liberal Party. In 1961, he joined Georgios Papandreou's Center Union but later led a faction known as the 'apostates' that contributed to the fall of Papandreou's government in 1965. Following the military coup in 1967, Mitsotakis was arrested but escaped to Turkey and lived in exile in Paris until the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1974. He returned to Greece and initially campaigned as an independent but was unsuccessful in the 1974 elections. He was re-elected in 1977 as the leader of the newly formed Party of New Liberals, which he merged with the New Democracy (ND) party in 1978.Mitsotakis served as Minister for Coordination from 1978 to 1980 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1981. After the ND government was defeated by Andreas Papandreou's PASOK in 1981, Mitsotakis became the ND leader in 1984. He and Papandreou were key figures in Greek politics during the following decade, marked by their longstanding rivalry. Mitsotakis won the June 1989 elections, but due to electoral reforms, he was unable to form a government. Subsequent elections in November 1989 and April 1990 yielded similar results, with ND winning but falling short of a majority.In April 1990, Mitsotakis finally formed a government with the support of a minor party. His administration introduced family benefits for families with three or more children, reduced pension replacement rates, and raised the retirement age. Mitsotakis's government focused on cutting government spending, privatizing state enterprises, and reforming the civil service. He recognized Israel and sought to improve relations with the United States while advocating for a new dialogue with Turkey, contingent on progress regarding Cyprus.His government faced criticism from Papandreou and public discontent over the naming dispute with the newly independent Republic of Macedonia. This dissatisfaction led to a split within the ND party, resulting in the formation of a new political party, Political Spring. Mitsotakis's government restored the pre-1989 electoral system, which allowed PASOK to regain a parliamentary majority in the 1993 elections. Mitsotakis resigned as ND leader but remained an honorary chairman.Mitsotakis announced his retirement from Parliament in January 2004, concluding a political career that spanned nearly six decades. He died on 29 May 2017 in Athens at the age of 98. His state funeral was held on 31 May 2017, and he was buried in Chania.

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Constantine Mitsotakis