Dimitra Liani

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Dimitra Liani ( Greek Δήμητρα Λιάνη , called Mimi ; born April 30, 1955 in Elefsina , according to other sources in Florina ) is the widow of the former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou .

biography

Dimitra Liani married Papandreou in 1989; she was his third wife. She had previously worked as a stewardess for the state airline Olympic Airways from 1978 to 1988 . From 1983 to 1987 she was married to the architect Alexis Kapopoulos, a prominent communist. Supported by Papandreou's then wife Margarita, she was part of the airline's crew responsible for looking after the Prime Minister. Margarita Papandreou, chairwoman of the Greek Women's Union, also helped her to a talk show Misò-Misò ("Half and Half"), which dealt with the topic of equality. The first guest was Andreas Papandreou.

The liaison with Papandreou became known at a critical time when he underwent heart surgery in a London clinic in 1988 . Photos of the bare-breasted luscious blonde appeared on the front pages of the tabloids. After Papandreou's divorce from his highly respected wife Margarita after 38 years of marriage, the relationship with 34-year-old Dimitra Liani was legalized in July 1989, shortly after the “Mimi” scandals and corruption allegations ended with PASOK losing the election for Papandreou's second term as prime minister.

Andreas Papandreou and Bill Clinton , state visit to Washington April 1994
(on the right in the background Dimitra Liani)

First lady

When Papandreou became Prime Minister for the third time in October 1993, Liani took over the management of his office. She took increasing political influence and played a key role in filling important cabinet positions. Her cousin Giorgos became Minister of Sport and Papandreou's doctor became Minister of Health. She was also accused of closing off the healthily weakened Prime Minister and preventing him from resigning. Papandreou had been in hospital treatment since November 1995 with progressive heart problems and kidney failure, but did not resign until January 16, 1996.

After Papandreou's death on June 23, 1996, her own political ambitions failed because of a lack of support in PASOK . Party friends resented, among other things, the publication of her memoirs, in which she spread intimate memories of their married life. An outraged Greek woman slapped her publicly when she was signing in a bookstore.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hellas is like a soap opera The Love and State Affair . In: Der Spiegel . No. 2 , 1989 ( online ).
  2. ↑ Abendblatt of October 12, 1993: "I owe everything to Mimi" (with photo of Papandreou's kiss and "Mimis" after the election victory) (PDF; 2.0 MB)
  3. ↑ TIME Magazine of November 27, 1995: Her naked ambition (English). Archived from the original on September 17, 2008 ; accessed on May 7, 2017 .
  4. ↑ In tears . In: Der Spiegel . No. 4 , 1996 ( online ).
  5. ↑ Dimitra (Mimi) Liani-Papandreou, . In: Der Spiegel . No. 46 , 1997 ( online ).
  6. ↑ My God . In: Der Spiegel . No. 41 , 1997 ( online ).
personal data
SURNAME Liani, Dimitra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Liani, Mimi; Λιάνη, Δήμητρα (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek first lady
DATE OF BIRTH April 30, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Eleusis , Greece