Demetris Christofias

Demetris Christofias
Δημήτρης Χριστόφιας
Christofias in 2011
6th President of Cyprus
In office
28 February 2008 – 28 February 2013
Preceded byTassos Papadopoulos
Succeeded byNicos Anastasiades
9th President of the House of Representatives
In office
7 June 2001 – 28 February 2008
Preceded bySpyros Kyprianou
Succeeded byMarios Garoyian
4th General Secretary of the Progressive Party of Working People
In office
22 April 1988 – 21 February 2009
Preceded byEzekias Papaioannou
Succeeded byAndros Kyprianou
Personal details
Born(1946-08-29)29 August 1946
Kato Dikomo, British Cyprus
Died21 June 2019(2019-06-21) (aged 72)
Nicosia, Cyprus
Political partyProgressive Party of Working People
Spouse
Elsie Chiratou
(m. 1972)
Children3
EducationPhD
Signature

Demetris Christofias[a] (Greek: Δημήτρης Χριστόφιας [ðiˈmitɾis xɾiˈstofças]; 29 August 1946 – 21 June 2019) was a Cypriot politician, who served President of Cyprus from 2008 to 2013. He was previously President of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2008 and General Secretary of the Progressive Party of Working People from 1988 to 2009.

Taking on the challenge of responding to the 2007-8 Global Financial Crisis, he implemented a wide-ranging social program, increasing pensions and the minimum wage. At the end of his term, however, the local banking system collapsed. Putting blame on the banks, he attempted to raise taxes on them as a way of funding the island's recovery, but failed to pass this into legislation. Also citing deadlock in reunification talks, he announced that he would not seek re-election, becoming the first Cypriot leader to opt-out of running for a second term. He remains the only communist head of state in the history of both Cyprus and the European Union.
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