Papandreou was a true socialist who preferred the student protest attire of the Vietnam War era -- plaid flannel shirts, jeans and long hair, said Philip Tsiaras, a former classmate at Amherst.
He strummed his guitar and sang protest songs. In , the same year his father became prime minister, he was elected to parliament -- setting in motion a slow rise to the top of Greek politics. He took control of the party in , leading it through two election defeats. But his first serious challenge came in , when he saw off a threat from Evangelos Venizelos -- his current finance minister -- for the party leadership.
Papandreou initially seemed determined to usher in change to Greek politics. That was not his style. He also picked young talent for top party positions and tried to purge an old guard associated with decades of socialist graft. But his choices were often seen as erratic, especially when he became prime minister in Apart from Papandreou, there are six more candidates vying for the position: Pavlos Geroulanos, former culture and tourism minister from to ; KINAL spokesman Pavlos Christides; Haris Kastanidis, former justice and interior minister; Vassilis Kegeroglou, former deputy minister for labor; Andreas Loverdos, former minister of education and a law professor; and Nikos Androulakis, former secretary of Pasok and a member of the European Parliament.
Kegeroglou has indicated he might withdraw from the race to support Papandreou, according to Greek daily Kathimerini. The first round of the party elections is set for Dec. Creditors shot down the idea, and Papandreou quit to make way for a caretaker government and new elections.
His father founded the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement, Pasok, which was a dominant force in Greek politics for three decades but sank to fourth and later third place in parliament during successive bailouts that ended in Family ties still hold powerful influence in Greek politics.
The Papandreou family's lives turned upside down following a military coup in April , leading to a globe-trotting existence evident in the schools the prime minister attended including in Illinois, Stockholm and Toronto.
Papandreou also attended Amherst College, a small and prestigious liberal arts institution in central Massachusetts where he roomed with Antonis Samaras, according to Amherst's news office. Samaras would later become his primary political rival as the leader of Greece's conservative New Democracy party. He has described the prime minister as untrustworthy and demanded he resign and call for snap elections in six weeks.
After attending schools in far-flung cities, he eventually returned to Greece and immersed himself in politics. He first won election to parliament in and within a few years, he was a key figure in his father's PASOK's party.
While still a parliamentary member, he assumed several ministerial positions where he coordinated the government's unsuccessful bid to win the Olympic summer games.
After a short stint away from top ministry positions and fresh off heading Greece's winning Olympic bid, he emerged as a prominent international figure in the late s. He became a tested diplomat on various issues, including fostering positive relations with Turkey, boosting support for the U.
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