Leonidas Kyrkos
| Leonidas Kyrkos | |
|---|---|
 Leonidas Kyrkos | |
| Born |
12 October 1924 Heraklion, Greece |
| Died |
28 August 2011 Athens, Greece |
Leonidas Kyrkos (Greek: Λεωνίδας Κύρκος) (12 October 1924 – 28 August 2011) was a Greek leftist politician and member of the Hellenic Parliament and the European Parliament.
Life
Leonidas Kyrkos was born in Irakleio, Crete, to Michail Kyrkos, who, along with Ioannis Pasalidis, formed the United Democratic Left in 1951.[1] Kyrkos was elected MP to the Greek Parliament in the elections of 1961, 1963 and 1964.[1] On 21 April 1967, during the coup d'état that installed the military junta, he was arrested and remained imprisoned for five years.[1] After the restoration of democracy in 1974, he was elected MP in 1974 and 1977, and MEP in 1981 and 1984.[1]
Kyrkos held the posts of president and general secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (Interior) until April 1987, when he left to become president of the Greek Left party.[1] Along with Charilaos Florakis, leader of the Communist Party of Greece, he founded the Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismós), of which was secretary until March 1991. He was an MP for the coalition from 1989 to 1993.[1] In 2000, his party nominated him for the position of President of Greece.[1] In 2010, he offered his support in a letter for the Democratic Left.[1]
Kyrkos died aged 86 on 28 August 2011, after a long illness. His funeral took place at the First Cemetery of Athens on August 31.[1]