Panagiotis Lafazanis

Panagiotis Lafazanis
MP
Παναγιώτης Λαφαζάνης
Minister of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 January 2015
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
Preceded by Giannis Maniatis
Personal details
Born 19 November 1951
Elefsina, Greece
Political party Coalition of the Radical Left
Alma mater University of Athens

Panagiotis Lafazanis (Greek: Παναγιώτης Λαφαζάνης; born 19 November 1951) is a Greek politician of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). Since January 2015 he has been serving as Minister of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy.

Biography

Early life and education

Born 1951 in Elefsina, Lafazanis studied mathematics at the University of Athens.

Political career

Lafazanis was involved in the Communist Party of Greece until the 1992 formation of Synaspismos, where he served as a member of the Political Secretariat.[1]

He has been a Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Piraeus B since 2000, first as a member of Synaspismos and then of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). In the parliament of 2012–2014, he was Syriza's Parliamentary Spokesman and a member of the Special Permanent Committee on Institutions and Transparency. After the 2015 legislative election, he was appointed Minister of Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy.

Lafazanis is the leader of Syriza's Left Platform, and has been involved in a number of disputes with the more moderate party leader and present Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.[2] He has called "for SYRIZA to [be] swept by a new wave of radicalization in all areas, ideological, political, programmatic", opposing "the Troika, memoranda, neoliberalism and finally capitalism itself",[3] and has spoken against continued Greek membership of the euro, describing the European Union as "totalitarian".[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Panagiotis Lafazanis". Hellenic Parliament. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "SYRIZA: Tsipras – Left Platform rift continues to grow". To Vima. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "“Euro or Drachma” dilemma splits SYRIZA once again". Proto Thema. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Greek Roulette: What Would Syriza's Victory Mean for Europe?". Spiegel Online. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Giannis Maniatis		 Minister of Productive Reconstruction,
Environment and Energy
since 27 January 2015 		Incumbent