Biographies

Rallis Georgios

Georgios Rallis served as a Prime Minister of Greece between May 1980 and October 1981. He was born in Athens in 1918, coming from a family distinguished for its presence in the political history of modern Greece. He studied Law and Political Sciences in the University of Athens.

He was first elected MP in the list of the Popular Party in 1950 and he was first appointed Minister in 1954 with the government of General Papagos, taking over the office of Presidency. He joined Constantinos Karamanlis when he formed the National Radical Union and was being elected MP since, until the dictatorship of April 1967. He was also being appointed Minister in every government, except for 1958 when he had a major disagreement with Karamanlis about the electoral system and was not even a candidate.

During the dictatorship he was set in exile in Kasos due to his expressing his opinions that democracy should be restored. After the political changeover in 1974 he took over the Ministry Internal Affairs and the ministry of Prime Minister in the government of coalition formed by Constantinos Karamanlis. As one of the most important party cadres of New Democracy he took over high governmential positions.

After Constantinos Karamanlis became President of the Republic, Georgios Rallis took over the leadership of New Democracy and became Prime Minister. However, after his party's defeat in the elections of 1981, he resigned leadership to be succeeded by Evaggelos Averof.

In 1987 he was in conflict with the then leader of New Democracy, Constantinos Mitsotakis he moved away from the party and became an independent MP. Two years later he rejoined the party and was a candidate MP in the elections of 1989 an 1990 in the district of Kerkyra.