Karamanlis, Konstantinos

Karamanlis, Konstantinos

 or Constantine Caramanlis

(born March 8, 1907, Próti, near Sérrai, Macedonia, Ottoman Empire—died April 23, 1998, Athens, Greece) Greek prime minister (1955–63, 1974–80) and president (1980–85, 1990–95). In various cabinet posts after World War II (1946–55), he helped rebuild Greece's war-torn economy. Chosen prime minister in 1955, he formed a government and a new conservative party, the National Radical Union. In 1960 he established an independent republic on Cyprus to ease tensions with Britain and Turkey over the island. He resigned in 1963 and lived in exile in Paris until 1974. Recalled as prime minister, he subordinated the military to civilian authority to restore democracy, averted war with Turkey over Cyprus, and oversaw the adoption of a new constitution that strengthened the presidency. In 1975 he held a referendum that resulted in the abolition of the monarchy. In 1980 he resigned as prime minister and was elected president. He helped effect Greece's entry into the European Community in 1981. He resigned in 1985, then was reelected president in 1990.