Christos Zois ( el, Χρήστος Ζώης; born 10 May 1968) is a Greek politician. He is currently the leader of NEA MERA, and Deputy Chairman of the

Union for the Homeland and the People Union for the Homeland and the People ( el, Ένωση για την Πατρίδα και τον Λαό) was a minor Greek political party that formed in order to take part in 2014 European Parliament Elections. The party was founded by Vyron Po ...

. He was formerly 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 ...

(MP) for New Democracy, but left in 2012 along with ten other New Democracy MPs to found the

Independent Greeks The Independent Greeks - National Patriotic Alliance ( el, Ανεξάρτητοι Έλληνες (ΑΝΕΛ), ''Anexartitoi Ellines'', ANEL) is a national-conservative political party in Greece. The party was the junior coalition partner to the ...

. He left the Independent Greeks in 2013 when he founded NEA MERA. From August to September 2015, he served as the Alternate Minister of Shipping in

Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou Vasiliki Thanou-Christophilou ( el, Βασιλική Θάνου-Χριστοφίλου, ; born 3 November 1950), also known as just Vasiliki Thanou, is a Greek judge who served as caretaker Prime Minister of Greece from 27 August to 21 September ...

caretaker cabinet A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...

Early life and education

Born in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He studied at the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, before completing a DEA in

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

at the Toulouse 1 University Capitole.

Political career

Zois was first elected as a New Democracy

Member of the Hellenic Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule of the Hellenes, label=none), also known as the Parliament of the Hel ...

in the 2000 legislative election. In 2012, he defected to the

. He was not re-elected in the June 2012 legislative election. From 2009 to 2012, Zois had responsibility for public administration in the

First Shadow Cabinet of Antonis Samaras The First Shadow Cabinet of Antonis Samaras was formed in 2009. A reshuffle was made in 2011. Following the June 2012 Greek legislative election, the Cabinet of Antonis Samaras was formed. The Shadow Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras became the next S ...

. In 2013, Zois left Independent Greeks and formed his own party, New Reformist Radical Reconstruction. In his first speech as party leader, he said that he would abolish income tax for those who earn less than 33,000 Euros a year. In February 2014, Zois joined with

Vyron Polydoras Vyron Polydoras ( el, Βύρων Πολύδωρας, ; born 27 January 1947 in Perivolia, Elis, Greece) is a Greek politician who was the Minister for Public Order and Justice of Greece from 2006 to 2007 in the first Cabinet of Kostas Karamanlis. ...

to found the

. In November 2014, Panos Kammenos, the leader of the Independent Greeks, gave an interview where he invited Zois back to the party. On 28 August 2015, Zois was sworn in as the Alternate Minister of Shipping in the

Caretaker Cabinet of Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou The Caretaker Cabinet of Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou was formed following the resignation of the Syriza-ANEL coalition government on 20 August 2015, and the failure of opposition parties to form their own government. The cabinet was headed b ...

Personal life

Zois is married to Joanna Tsagali.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zois, Christos 1968 births Living people Toulouse 1 University Capitole alumni Aristotle University of Thessaloniki alumni MPs of Larissa Politicians from Düsseldorf