Yiannis Varvitsiotis entered politics in 1961, in the ranks of the National Radical Union (ERE) under Konstantinos Karamanlis, and has since played a leading role in public life. His death on August 2 marks the definitive (and, now, complete) end of an entire generation of leaders of his party from that era. Thus, it is important to assess his overall presence and his significant role in Greek politics and in the course of the modern center-right.
Varvitsiotis served as an MP in 1961-67 and 1974-2004, while in 2004 he was elected to the European Parliament until 2009, when he was the head of the New Democracy (ND) group of MEPs. During the junta, he was associated with resistance networks and was arrested, while he was in contact with Karamanlis in Paris.
He assumed numerous government positions, of which the Deputy Minister of the Interior in the National Unity Government in 1974 should be noted – a clear indication that, at the beginning of a new era, Karamanlis intended him for future prominent roles in his party. He then served as Minister of Commerce, as well as Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs (Law 815 was drafted during his time, but it turned out to be a missed opportunity for higher education following extensive protests). His tenure at the Ministry of National Defense in 1990-93 is another forgotten great contribution, as, along with Deputy Minister Alexandros Papadogonas, he reorganized the armed forces, ushering in a new era after the end of the Cold War.
