I concluded a previous post by a reference to Apostolos Tzitzikostas, son of the late George Tzitzikostas, and I added that I might finish a text I had started about nepotism in Greece. After a search, I haven’t been able to find my earlier document, so I guess I’m back to Square 1. I am more annoyed rather than intrigued by Microsoft’s Copilot@. However, I gave it a go by entering “Nepotism in Contemporary Greece”. I used “Contemporary” because I didn’t want to find out that Thucydides was the son or cousin of some Athenian general.
The following section are extracts thrown up by Copilot@ (It automatically adds the @, making it a real pain in the arse.)
Nepotism in Contemporary Greece
An In-depth Analysis
Historical Context
Nepotism in Greece is not a recent development. Its roots can be traced back to the Ottoman era, where familial ties and loyalty were often prioritized over merit and competence. During the Ottoman rule, Greeks had limited access to official positions, which were often acquired through family connections and bribes. This historical legacy has persisted, influencing the contemporary Greek mindset and institutional practices.
Political Landscape
In modern Greek politics, nepotism is pervasive. Political dynasties have dominated the scene for decades, with notable families such as the Karamanlises, Papandreous, and Mitsotakises holding significant sway. The practice of appointing relatives to key political positions is common, ensuring the continuity of family influence and control. This has led to a concentration of power within a few elite families, often at the expense of transparency and accountability.
Case Studies
- The Karamanlis Family: Konstantinos Karamanlis, a prominent figure in Greek politics, served as Prime Minister and President. His nephew, Kostas Karamanlis, also became Prime Minister, highlighting the enduring influence of the family in Greek political affairs.
- The Papandreou Family: Andreas Papandreou, founder of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), served as Prime Minister. His son, George Papandreou, followed in his footsteps, becoming Prime Minister as well. This continuity underscores the dynastic nature of Greek politics.
- The Mitsotakis Family: Konstantinos Mitsotakis served as Prime Minister, and his son, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, currently holds the position. The Mitsotakis family has been influential in Greek politics for decades, exemplifying the ongoing
Me again! Copilot delves into other areas, but I’m mostly interested in politics. As you can see, if you have writer’s block, Copilot can kickstart you or enable you to plagiarize – and get away with it if you are cute enough to use different vocabulary and syntax.
You can also see that it is quite superficial. For example, it omits Andreas Papandreou’s father, George Papandreou. It also omits to trace the roots of the Mitsotakis family back to Eleftherios Venizelos, Greece’s most prominent 20th century politician. The current prime minister’s great-grandfather married Venizelos’s sister.
Women taking their husbands’ names is less frequent nowadays in Greek politics, but it can do a lot to hide the web of connections. The Mitsotakis clan includes the prime minister’s sister, Dora Bakoyanni (Foreign Minister 2006 – 2009), and Dora’s son, Kostas Bakoyannis, (Mayor of Athens 2019 – 2023).
The aforementioned clans are the Big Three, but a little digging can reveal how extensive nepotism is. Again, I wish to stress that that nepotism is not unique to Greece. Ireland’s outgoing and forgettable ambassador to Greece is the granddaughter of a Taoiseach.
A few examples of how enduring nepotism is in Greece,
The actress, Melina Mercouri, served as Culture Minister in the PASOK governments in the 1980s and 90s. Her grandfather was Mayor of Athens and her father was an MP.
Her colleague, Theodoros Pangalos, was deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary. He was the grandson of Lt. Gen. Theodoros Pangalos, a Venizelist officer who opposed King Constantine during WWI. He staged a coup in 2025 which resulted in his being declared Prime Minister. Before his eventual overthrow, he was briefly President of the Second Hellenic Republic.
Now we come to hereditary tourism. Olga Kefalogianni is the current Minister of Tourism, an office her father, Ioannis Kefalogiannis, also held. Her cousin – also Ioannis Kefalogiannis – is a New Democracy MP.
Here in the north, Sotiris Kouvelas, Mayor of Thessaloniki and holder of several ministerial posts, is famous for the creation of the Kouvelas Hole. Sotiris promised to build a Metro to be funded by radio and TV advertising garnered from the newly created free channels and stations. It was nonsense, and the only thing Kouvelas did was to create a huge hole in Egnatia between the Aristotelian University and the International exhibition site. It filled with water, caused all sorts of problems for the foundations in the nearby university buildings, and worsened traffic congestion for three decades. You’d think such a bullshitter would lie low and keep himself and his descendants out of politics. No such luck. His son, Dimitris Kouvelas is a New Democracy MP.
Late to the party, but not averse to a looking after family is SYRIZA. As if one Tsipras wasn’t enough, was there any need to inflict people with his cousin Georgios? Meanwhile, returning to the north, in 2012, a young woman called Katerina Notopoulou got a cleaning job with Thessaloniki Municipality. Of course, she never saw a mop or a bucket. Although her two-month contract was paid from the cleaning budget, she worked as Press Representative for the then councillor and parliamentary candidate Triandafilos Mitafidi. Before long she was a SYRIZA minister, and she is still an MP. The nepotism? It turns out she is the half-sister of Nikos Pappas, one of Tsipras’s closest confidants in the Syriza years.
And, finally, my personal favourite from www.keeptalkinggreece.com
‘Daily Proto Thema revealed that the General Secretary of SYRIZA Youth Organization, Iason Shoinas-Papadopoulos had his mother, his brother and even his girl friend been hired in the public administration.
- Mom, a lawyer, has been hired as adviser to the Minister of Health
- Brother, 31, with Economic studies found a job as “economic adviser to the Prime Minister”.
- And lucky girl-friend, 25, found a job also at the Ministry of Health and thus just four months after she got her university degree.
Yes, outrage not only among opposition parties but also among SYRIZA supporters.
The General Secretary, a former rapper who used to criticize “favoritism in politics” in his songs, felt the need to reply to his critics.
He published a presumptuous long open-letter in Syriza website Left.gr, where he praised and invoked “the left past of the family” and “the fights of the family for the Greek Left”. He described Proto Thema as “snitch”.’
Nice work if you can get it.