last updated December 2010

Dora Bakoyannis (short version) 

Dora Bakoyannis is the Leader  of the new political Movement “Democratic Alliance”.

In May 2010 she was expelled from New Democracy.

In November 2009 she run for the leadership of the “New Democracy” political party.

Dora Bakoyannis has been Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 2006 to October 2009.

She was Mayor of Athens from October 2002 until February 2006, the first female Mayor of Athens in the history of modern Greece.

Dora Bakoyannis was elected as Member of Parliament for the Athens 1st Electoral Districtin 1996, 2000 and 2007, coming first in votes in every election.

She was appointed Minister for Culture in December 1992 and Under-Secretary of State in October 1990.

She was elected in 1989, 1990 and 1993 as  Member of Parliament for Evrytania, the constituency of her late husband, the journalist and scholar Pavlos Bakoyannis, following his assassination by a terrorist group.

Dora Bakoyannis served as Chief of Staff for the New Democracy leader Kostantinos Mitsotakis from 1984 until 1989. In 1977 she entered the Ministry of Economic Coordination working for the Department of European Economic Community (EEC) Affairs.

Dora Bakoyannis and her family were exiled to Paris in 1968 by the military dictatorship that ruled Greece for 7 years. They returned in 1974.

Born in 1954, Dora Bakoyannis was educated at the German School of Paris. After studying Political Science and Communication at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, she continued her studies in Political Science and Public Law at the University of Athens. She speaks fluently English, French and German.

She has been awarded the International Leadership Award by the International Centre for Women and her valuable contribution to culture was recognized by the 14th International Symposium Fontana di Roma. Dora Bakoyannis was voted World Mayor in 2005. Since 2006 she has been included in the Forbes annual list of the Worlds’ Most Powerful Women for three consecutive years.

Dora Bakoyannis is married to Isidoros Kouvelos and has two children, Alexia and Kostas.

Dora Bakoyannis (long version)

Professional career:

November 2010: President of the new political Movement “Democratic Alliance”.

October 2009: re-elected Member of Parliament for the New Democracy party in the Athens 1st electoral district, coming first in votes.

January 2009-October 2009: Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

September 2007: re-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of New Democracy.

September 2007: re-elected Member of Parliament for the New Democracy party in the Athens 1st electoral district, coming first in votes.

September 2006: Greece held the Presidency of the Security Council of the United Nations.

February 2006: first female Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece in the government of New Democracy.

October 2002: Athens's first female mayor winning by a majority of 60.6%, greater than any Athens mayor in history.

May 2000: appointed Shadow Foreign and Defence Minister; after being appointed as party representative for development by party leader Kostas Karamanlis.

April, 2000: re-elected Member of Parliament for the New Democracy party in the Athens 1st electoral district, coming first in votes.

March 1997: re-elected in the Central Committee of the New Democracy party, and twice elected chairperson of the party's Executive Committee.

September 1996: elected Member of Parliament for the New Democracy party in the Athens's 1st electoral district, coming first in votes.

April 1994: elected by the New Democracy party's 3rd Congress to the party's Central Committee.

October 1993: re-elected New Democracy Member of Parliament for Evrytania.

December 1992: appointed Minister for Culture in the government of New Democracy.

September 1991 and August 1992: served in the General Secretariat of International Affairs for New Democracy, and represented the party in the European Democratic Union (EDU) and International Democratic Union (IDU).

October 1990: appointed Under-Secretary of State in the government of New Democracy.

April 1990: re-elected New Democracy Member of Parliament for Evrytania.

November 1989: elected as New Democracy Member of Parliament for Evrytania, the constituency of her late husband, Pavlos Bakoyannis, after his assassination.

1984 -1989: served as Chief of Staff for the New Democracy party leader Kostantinos Mitsotakis.

1977: entered the Ministry of Economic Coordination working for the Department of European Economic Community (EEC) affairs. 

Awards:

2010, awarded the National Order of the Chevalry of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic (Ordre Nationale de Chevalier de la Legion d' Honneur).
 
2009, named as the first female foreign associate of the French Academy in Humanities and Political Sciences (Academie Francaise des Sciences Morales et Politiques). The same year, she was also awarded the title of Honorary Senator by the European Academy of Human and Political Sciences in Salzburg
 
2008, 2007, and 2006: included in the Forbes annual list of the Worlds Most Powerful Women for three consecutive years.

2008: awarded the Emperor Maximilian Award-European Award for Regional Policy and Local Government by the province of Tyrol and the city of Innsbruck.

December 2005: voted World Mayor in the annual international competition organised by the London-based City Mayors organisation out of the 550 Mayors from around the world nominated for the title.

2003: joined a group of 12 high-level independent figures, upon the invitation of Romano Prodi to contribute proposals on the social character, cultural identity and economic future of the new Europe as a member of a prestigious round-table conference.

June 1993: recognised by the 14th International Symposium Fontana di Roma for her valuable contribution to culture.

March 1992: awarded the International Leadership Award by the International Centre for Women.  


Website: www.dorabak.gr
Photo Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dora_bakoyannis/
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/DoraWebTV
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DoraBakoyannis