1. Antonis Samaras was previously best known for a 1993 controversy in which he effectively caused the New Democracy government, of which he was a member, to fall from power.
22 Facts About Antonis Samaras
1. 2.
Antonis Samaras was the seventh party leader since it was founded in 1974.
3.
Antonis Samaras's paternal uncle, George Samaras, was a long-standing Member of Parliament for Messinia in the 1950s and 1960s.
4.
Antonis Samaras grew up among the Athens well-connected families, playing tennis.
5.
Antonis Samaras attended school in the Athens College and graduated from Amherst College in 1974 with a degree in economics, and then from Harvard University in 1976 with an MBA.
6.
Antonis Samaras is married and has a daughter and a son.
7.
Antonis Samaras has been elected as a Member of Parliament, initially for Messinia, from 1977 onward.
8.
The defection of one Member of Parliament from New Democracy to Antonis Samaras' party caused the government's fall from power in 1993.
9.
Political Spring did not participate in the 2000 general election; Antonis Samaras publicly supported the New Democracy party.
10.
Antonis Samaras' candidacy soared in opinion polls and finished the race as a favorite.
11.
Antonis Samaras accepted his election with a speech at the party headquarters, and pledged to carry out a broad ideological and organizational reform, aspiring to regain majority status.
12.
Antonis Samaras was later instrumental in the expulsion of Bakoyanni for defying the party line and voting for an austerity measure required for European Union-International Monetary Fund backed lending.
13.
However, Antonis Samaras only gave in after Papandreou agreed to step aside, allowing the EU bailout to proceed and paving the way for elections on 19 February 2012.
14.
However, after a day of negotiations with the other parties, Antonis Samaras officially announced he was giving up the mandate to form a government.
15.
On 20 June 2012, Antonis Samaras successfully formed a coalition with the PASOK and the Democratic Left.
16.
Antonis Samaras implemented a series of reforms and austerity measures with the aim of reducing government budget deficits and making the Greek economy competitive.
17.
Antonis Samaras passed a bill instituting the Single Property Tax and the auction of houses.
18.
On 9 December 2014, Antonis Samaras announced the candidacy of New Democracy politician Stavros Dimas for the position of President of Greece.
19.
Tsipras succeeded Antonis Samaras, who resigned as Leader of New Democracy on 5 July 2015, following the overwhelming victory of the "No" vote in the bailout referendum, naming Vangelis Meimarakis as transitional leader.
20.
Antonis Samaras had been backing a "Yes" vote, together with his party, before the referendum.
21.
In 2023, Antonis Samaras made controversial statements against the LGBTQI+ community, suggesting that LGBTQI+ rights have no place in Europe.
22.
Antonis Samaras disputed gender identity, arguing that only biological gender is real, and made xenophobic remarks against migrants, claiming that "they are tearing Europe apart".