Antonis Samaras

Prime Minister of Greece

23 May 1951 Athens, Greece

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20 June 2012 – 26 January 2015

Prime Minister of Greece (2012–2015) Antonis Samaras Αντώνης Σαμαράς Prime Minister of GreeceIn office 20 June 2012 – 26 January 2015PresidentKarolos PapouliasDeputyEvangelos VenizelosPreceded by Panagiotis PikrammenosSucceeded by Alexis TsiprasLeader of the OppositionIn office 26 January 2015 – 5 July 2015Prime Minister Alexis TsiprasPreceded by Alexis TsiprasSucceeded by Vangelis MeimarakisIn office 30 November 2009 – 20 June 2012Prime Minister George Papandreou Lucas Papademos Panagiotis PikrammenosPreceded by George PapandreouSucceeded by Alexis TsiprasPresident of New DemocracyIn office 30 November 2009 – 5 July 2015DeputyStavros Dimas Dimitris AvramopoulosPreceded by Kostas KaramanlisSucceeded by Vangelis MeimarakisMinister of Culture and SportsIn office 8 January 2009 – 6 October 2009Prime Minister Kostas KaramanlisPreceded by Michalis LiapisSucceeded by Pavlos Geroulanos (Culture and Tourism) Member of the European ParliamentIn office 20 July 2004 – 25 September 2007ConstituencyGreeceMinister of Foreign AffairsIn office 11 April 1990 – 13 April 1992Prime Minister Konstantinos MitsotakisPreceded by Georgios PapouliasSucceeded by Konstantinos MitsotakisIn office 23 November 1989 – 16 February 1990Prime Minister Xenophon ZolotasPreceded by Georgios PapouliasSucceeded by Georgios PapouliasMinister of FinanceIn office 2 July 1989 – 12 October 1989Prime Minister Tzannis TzannetakisPreceded by Dimitris TsovolasSucceeded by Georgios Agapitos Personal detailsBorn (1951-05-23 ) 23 May 1951 (age 70) Athens, GreecePolitical partyNew Democracy (1977–1992, 2004–present) Political Spring (1993–2004) Spouse(s)Georgia Kretikos (1990–present) ChildrenLena CostasAlma materAmherst College (BA) Harvard Business School (MBA)WebsiteOfficial website Antonis Samaras (Greek: Αντώνης Σαμαράς , pronounced  ; born 23 May 1951) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2012 to 2015. A member of the New Democracy party, he was its president from 2009 until 2015. Samaras started his national political career as Minister of Finance in 1989; he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1992 (with a brief interruption in 1990) and Minister of Culture and Sports in 2009. Samaras was previously best known for a 1993 controversy in which he effectively caused the New Democracy government, of which he was a member, to fall from power. In spite of this, he rejoined the party in 2004 and was elected to its leadership in a closely fought intra-party election in late 2009. He was the seventh party leader since it was founded in 1974.