Vasso Papandreou, a founding member of Greece’s socialist party, PASOK, died on Thursday in Athens. She was 80.
No details of the cause of her death have been made public until now, but Papandreou, who was unrelated to the Papandreou political family, had withdrawn from active politics several years ago.
The Greek Parliament honored the late politician with a moment of silence, following heartfelt condolences from representatives of various political parties. They praised her extensive and influential career in Greek politics.
She has been credited for promoting workers’ rights, gender equality and showed special concern for pensioners and people with special needs.
Papandreou spearheaded legislation that mandated at least 33 percent female representation in the candidate lists for the 2002 Prefectural and Municipal elections.
After being in exile during the rule of the Greek junta, she returned to Greece in 1974 and was a founding member of PASOK. In 1981 she was awarded a PhD in economics from the University of Reading.
Vasso Papandreou’s political career
She was a member of PASOK’s Central Committee until 1988 and served as Deputy Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology from 1986 to 1987 and as Deputy Minister of Commerce in 1988.
In 1989, she was appointed as Greece’s European Commissioner, taking the post of Commissioner for Employment, industrial relations and social affairs in the second Delors Commission. She became the first Greek female Commissioner.
After her term on the commission, she returned to Greek domestic politics and was elected to the Hellenic Parliament in the 1993, 1996, 2000 elections, 2004, 2007 and 2009 elections.
She served in all Costas Simitis government (1996-2004) as Minister of Economic Development (1996 -1999), Minister of Interior (1999-2001) and Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works from 2001 to 2004.
PASOK returns as a second force in Greek politics
She passed away a few days after Nikos Androulakis won the second round of PASOK’s internal party leadership elections on Sunday.
PASOK, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, is currently second in opinion polls, overtaking Syriza. However, it is still far behind the governing New Democracy (ND) party led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Socialist party has greatly changed since its inception on September 3, 1974. PASOK is a former shadow of itself today. Under the leadership of Andreas Papandreou, it was the first Socialist party to govern Greece. Papandreou had gained the love of most Greeks.
By 2010, when Andreas Papandreou’s son, George Papandreou, was prime minister, Greece was wallowing in an economic crisis. In a snap election, PASOK lost, and two years later after political turmoil, a coalition New Democracy-PASOK government formed.
The two political arch-rivals since 1974 joined forces, an unprecedented event.
