Gerasimos Arsenis
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Gerasimos Arsenis (Greek: Γεράσιμος Αρσένης) (born 1931), is a Greek politician who served as MP and minister in several PASOK governments. He studied in the Athens University Law School and finished postgraduate studies on the MIT. Arsenis was a minister of National Economy with the PASOK government from 1982 to 1985, minister of Economics from 1984 to 1985, and minister of Mercantile Marine for a month, during 1985. In 1985, Arsenis resigned from his post due to disagreements with prime minister Andreas Papandreou on matters of economic policy, and was replaced by Costas Simitis. He was subsequently expelled from the party in 1986, for criticising the policies of the government, and went on to found a new party, the Greek Socialist Party, which failed to appeal to Greek voters. He was re-admitted to PASOK in 1989. After PASOK's return to power in 1993, Arsenis served as Minister of Defence (1993-1996), notably during the Imia crisis. When Andreas Papandreou resigned from the premiership due to health problems, after a three-month long hospitalization which had incapacitated him and created a serious power-vacuum in Greece, Arsenis announced a candidacy to replace him, losing to Costas Simitis, and trailing the second candidate, Akis Tsohatzopoulos. He became a Minister of Education in Simitis's government (1996-2000), and faced a massive backlash within the Educational community for the Educational system changes he proposed, some of which, however, stand to this day.
