Haris Kastanidis ( el, Χάρης Καστανίδης, born 11 March 1956 in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
) is a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
politician who served as
Minister for Justice, Transparency and Human Rights and
Minister for the Interior
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
under
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
. A former member of the
Panhellenic Socialist Movement
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
, he is now a member of the splinter
Movement of Democratic Socialists
The Movement of Democratic Socialists ( el, Κίνημα Δημοκρατών Σοσιαλιστών, ''Kinima Dimokraton Sosialiston'') is a political party in Greece established on 3 January 2015 by George Papandreou after splitting from the ...
within the
Movement for Change
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy F ...
.
Early life
M.P. Haris Kastanidis was born in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
in 1956. He graduated from the Law School of the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
and completed his studies with a Post-Graduate degree in Criminal Law.
He became a member of
PASOK
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
on its foundation in 1974 and was elected for the first time as a member of the
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule (ancient Greece), Boule of the Greeks, Hellenes, label=none), also kno ...
in the
elections of 1981 being only 25 years old. In 1984 he was elected as a member of the PASOK Central Committee.
Offices
He held his first government post in the
Ministry for the Interior and Public Order as a Deputy Minister, from 25 July 1985 until 25 April 1986. From 9 September 1988 until 18 November 1988, he held the post of
Deputy Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs. From 18 November 1988 until 29 November 1988, he served as
Deputy Minister for the Interior. On 15 September 1995 he was appointed as
Minister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation, a post which he held until 22 January 1996.
On 22 January 1996 he was appointed as the
Minister for Transport and Communications, a position that he held until he resigned on 2 September 1997. From 7 July 2003 until 10 March 2004, he was the
Minister for Macedonia and Thrace
The Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace ( el, Υφυπουργός Μακεδονίας και Θράκης) is the government minister in charge of Greece's Sub- Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, part of the Ministry of the Interior.
The de ...
. From March 2004 until August 2007 he held the position of PASOK spokesman.
2009 elections
From 7 October 2009 to 17 June 2011, he served as the
Minister for Justice, Transparency and Human Rights. On 17 June 2011, after a government reshuffle, he was appointed
Minister for the Interior
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
, a post that he held until 11 November 2011.
Haris Kastanidis was expelled from the PASOK parliamentary group after voting against Greece's loan deal with its foreign creditors. On 14 March 2012 he and
Louka Katseli
Louka Katseli (Greek: Λούκα Κατσέλη, ; born 20 April 1952) is a Greek economist and politician. Today, she is Professor Emeritus of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Chair of the National Bank of Greece in Cyprus, C ...
formed the
Social Agreement
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
party, which failed to win a seat at the
May 2012 election.
He later joined George Papandreou's
Movement of Democratic Socialists
The Movement of Democratic Socialists ( el, Κίνημα Δημοκρατών Σοσιαλιστών, ''Kinima Dimokraton Sosialiston'') is a political party in Greece established on 3 January 2015 by George Papandreou after splitting from the ...
, and was re-elected to parliament at the
2019 election as a member of the
Movement for Change
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy F ...
.
References
M.P. Haris Kastanidis in the Official Website of the Hellenic Parliament -
External links
Official Website of M.P. Haris Kastanidis -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastanidis, Haris
1956 births
PASOK politicians
Social Agreement (Greece) politicians
Movement of Democratic Socialists politicians
Ministers of the Interior of Greece
Living people
Politicians from Thessaloniki
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki alumni
Justice ministers of Greece
MPs of Thessaloniki
Greek MPs 1981–1985
Greek MPs 1985–1989
Greek MPs 1989 (June–November)
Greek MPs 1989–1990
Greek MPs 1990–1993
Greek MPs 1993–1996
Greek MPs 1996–2000
Greek MPs 2000–2004
Greek MPs 2004–2007
Greek MPs 2007–2009
Greek MPs 2009–2012
Greek MPs 2019–2023