Marika Mitsotakis
| Marika Mitsotakis | |
|---|---|
|
In office April 11, 1990 – October 13, 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Lola Zolota |
| Succeeded by | Dimitra Liani |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marika Giannoukou November 29, 1930 Athens, Greece |
| Died | May 6, 2012 (aged 81) Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Spouse(s) | Konstantinos Mitsotakis |
| Children |
Dora Bakoyannis Alexandra Mitsotakis Aikaterini Mitsotakis Kyriakos Mitsotakis |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
Marika Mitsotakis (née Giannoukou; November 29, 1930 – May 6, 2012) was the wife of the former Prime Minister of Greece Konstantinos Mitsotakis. She was regarded as a prominent political voice with the New Democracy political party, her husband's government, and Greek politics. She was nicknamed "Mrs. Marika" among Greeks.
Mitsotakis was born to a prominent Athenian family on November 29, 1930. She contracted poliomyelitis at a swimming pool when she was thirteen years old. She survived the illness, but lived with a walking disability for the rest of her life. In addition to her political activities, Mitsotakis became an activist for people with disabilities in Greece.
She married Konstantinos Mitsotakis, member of a political family from Crete, in 1953. The couple had four children: Dora, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece from 2006 to 2009 and Mayor of Athens from 2003 until 2006; Alexandra, a civil-society activist; Aikaterini and Kyriakos, a member of the Hellenic Parliament from the New Democracy party who on 19 January 2016 was elected President of this party. Konstantinos served as the head of the New Democracy political party from 1984 to 1993.
Mitsotakis served as the First Lady from 1990 to 1993 during her husband's tenure as Prime Minister. She assumed the traditional role of the wife of a Prime Minister, being quoted in Time Magazine at the time of the 1990 election saying, "Finally, my Kostas, we’ve made it." However, she was known for her political skills and outspokenness. In 1990, soon after taking office, Prime Minister Mitsotakis made his first appearance in the Greek parliament. A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) accused Marika of making "insolent gestures" towards socialist politicians during the session. Marika responded to the lawmaker's accusation, "I'll get my stick and beat you with it." In 1991, Marika publicly criticized Minister of Industry Stavros Dimas. Dimas quickly resigned during an official trip to the Soviet Union as a result of Marika's criticism.
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