Alekos Flabouraris, a former SYRIZA Member of Parliament and Minister of State, passed away today at the age of 87. His death marks the end of a long and impactful career in Greek politics.
A Life Dedicated to Politics and Public Service
Flabouraris had experienced a heart attack in July 2024, leading to hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit. He underwent successful heart surgery at a private clinic and had reportedly returned to a normal routine, often present at the SYRIZA headquarters in Koumoundourou.
Who was Alekos Flabouraris?
Born in Athens in 1938, Alekos Flabouraris was a civil engineer by profession. He completed his secondary education at the 9th High School in Koumoundourou Square and pursued higher education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and the University of Graz in Austria.
In his youth, Flabouraris became involved with the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the Lambrakis Youth movement, leading to his arrest for anti-dictatorial activities. Following the Metapolitefsi (the period of democratic transition in Greece), he joined the KKE of the Interior, then Synaspismos, and eventually SYRIZA, where he served as a member of its Central Committee.
Many considered Flabouraris to be a mentor to Alexis Tsipras, former Prime Minister of Greece. Their close relationship was evident in their personal lives; Tsipras and his family spent almost every summer at Flabouraris’s home in Aegina. There, Tsipras’s children, Phoebus-Pavlos and Orpheus-Ernesto, celebrated their birthdays annually, treated by Flabouraris as his own grandchildren.
Ministerial Roles and Parliamentary Career
During the Tsipras government, Flabouraris served as Minister of State for the Coordination of Government Work. In September 2015, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Athens A constituency. Following the cabinet reshuffle on November 5, 2016, he retained his ministerial position, taking on responsibilities for resolving citizens’ everyday problems and spearheading major development initiatives.
In the 2019 parliamentary elections, he was placed fourth on SYRIZA’s State ballot and was re-elected as an MP. For the parliamentary elections in May and June 2023, he was honorably placed in the last position on the State ballot.
His last public appearance, captured by television cameras, was in May of the previous year at an event organized by the Nikos Poulantzas Institute.
Alekos Flabouraris’s passing marks a significant moment in the political landscape of Greece, remembering a figure who contributed significantly to the country’s public life over several decades.
Source: https://www.iefimerida.gr
