1. Early Life and Education
Evangelos-Vasileios Meimarakis was born in Athens, the capital city of Greece. He is of Cretan descent, reflecting his family's origins from the large Greek island of Crete. His father was also a political figure, serving as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament representing Heraklion for the National Radical Union (ERE).
Meimarakis began his political involvement early in his life. In 1974, while studying at Panteion University in Athens, he joined the New Democracy party. In the same year, he played a foundational role in establishing the Youth Organisation of New Democracy (ONNED), which is the youth wing of the New Democracy party.
2. Political Career
Evangelos Meimarakis has had a long and impactful political career, spanning roles within his party, the Greek Parliament, and eventually the European Parliament.
2.1. Early Political Career
Meimarakis quickly rose through the ranks of the Youth Organisation of New Democracy (ONNED). In 1984, he was appointed chairman of the ONNED Executive Committee, a position from which he led the organization to its first conference in March 1987. His influence within the broader party also grew, as he became a member of the New Democracy Central Committee following the party's second conference in 1986, a role he has held since.
His parliamentary career began with his first election as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament representing the Athens B constituency in the general elections held in both June and November of 1989. He was subsequently reelected in 1990, 1993, 1996, and 2000, demonstrating consistent electoral support. From 1991 to 1992, Meimarakis served as one of New Democracy's parliamentary representatives, playing a key role in the party's legislative efforts. He also held a ministerial position as Deputy Minister for Sports from 1992 to 1993.
In March 2001, at the 5th Conference of New Democracy, Meimarakis was elected as the Secretary of the Central Committee, becoming the first person to hold this particular role within the party's structure. He was reelected as Secretary in July 2004 and continued in this capacity until February 15, 2006.
2.2. Minister for National Defence
On February 15, 2006, Evangelos Meimarakis was appointed as the Minister for National Defence within the First Cabinet of Kostas Karamanlis. He served in this significant ministerial role until 2009, overseeing Greece's defense policies and military affairs during a crucial period.
2.3. Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament
On June 29, 2012, Meimarakis achieved another high office when he was elected as the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament. In this position, he presided over the parliamentary proceedings and played a central role in guiding legislative work. He held the speakership until a new parliament was elected in January 2015.
2.4. Acting Leader of New Democracy
In July 2015, Evangelos Meimarakis took on the critical role of interim leader of the New Democracy party, following the resignation of Antonis Samaras. Samaras's resignation came after the "No" vote in the 2015 Greek bailout referendum, which led to significant political upheaval.
As interim leader, Meimarakis led the party into the snap September 2015 Greek legislative election on September 20, 2015. In this election, New Democracy faced a defeat for the second time in nine months against the SYRIZA party. Despite the overall loss, Meimarakis managed to slightly increase New Democracy's vote share, from 27.8% to 28.1%. However, their number of seats in the parliament decreased from 76 to 75.
Meimarakis continued as interim leader after the September election. He announced that a New Democracy leadership election would be held before the end of the year, and he declared his intention to be a candidate. On November 24, 2015, Meimarakis appointed Ioannis Plakiotakis, who was serving as the secretary of the New Democracy parliamentary group, as a vice president of the party. Following this appointment, Meimarakis resigned from his interim leadership role, making Plakiotakis the new interim leader of the party.
2.5. Member of the European Parliament
Since the 2019 European Parliament election, Evangelos Meimarakis has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). In this capacity, he has been assigned to key committees, including the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on Security and Defence. His involvement in European affairs expanded in 2021 when he became part of the Parliament's delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe, an initiative aimed at allowing citizens to express their views on the future direction of the European Union. Within the centre-right European People's Party Group (EPP), Meimarakis holds a significant position as one of the deputies to the group's chairman, Manfred Weber.
3. Personal Life
Evangelos Meimarakis is married to Ioanna Kolokota. Ioanna is the daughter of the notable Greek actress Nitsa Marouda. Together, Evangelos and Ioanna have two daughters. Meimarakis is also fluent in the English language.
4. Assessment
Evangelos Meimarakis is often perceived by the public as a down-to-earth politician. According to Vassilis Monastiriotis of the London School of Economics, Meimarakis has a broad appeal across different segments of the electorate. Monastiriotis noted that Meimarakis resonates with "both working-class voters, who see him as a man of the people, and the traditional higher-income New Democracy supporters, who see him as a cunning operator able to hit Tsipras below the belt." This assessment highlights his ability to connect with diverse voter bases, indicative of his strategic political approach and public persona.