Ioannis Varvitsiotis, one of the towering figures of Greece’s New Democracy party and one of the last living MPs from the pre-junta parliament, has died at the age of 93. He passed away peacefully at 15:30 on Sunday at his home in Athens, surrounded by his children, on the very day he was marking his 93rd birthday, having been born in Athens on 2 August 1933.

A lawyer by training, Varvitsiotis spent decades at the heart of Greek politics, serving as a close ally of former prime minister Constantine Karamanlis and holding senior posts within both the National Radical Union (ERE), the conservative party that preceded New Democracy, and New Democracy itself, which Karamanlis founded after the fall of the military junta. He was widely regarded as a living link to the party’s history and one of only two surviving ERE MPs.

He studied law at the University of Athens and later at the University of Freiburg in what was then West Germany, specialising in company law. He returned to Athens to practise as a lawyer and, in 1960, was awarded a doctorate from the Athens Law School. It was during this period that he came to the attention of Karamanlis, who had known his father, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, a former MP with the People’s Party. Karamanlis entrusted the young Varvitsiotis with drafting policy proposals for government officials before selecting him as an ERE candidate for the second Athens constituency.

Varvitsiotis was elected to parliament in 1961 and went on to be re-elected repeatedly over more than four decades, representing the second Athens constituency until 1996 and later a national list seat in 2000. During the military dictatorship, a year after it seized power, he was among a group of MPs who began signing statements calling for a return to democratic rule. When the authorities barred him from leaving the country, he made contact, together with fellow politicians Georgios Rallis and Panagiotis Papaligouras, with a cell of the resistance group Free Greeks. The connection was discovered and he was arrested on 9 October 1968, subsequently interrogated by the military police unit EAT/ESA and held in solitary confinement for five months.

Following the restoration of democracy in 1974, Varvitsiotis served as deputy interior minister in the national unity government and was re-elected to parliament that same year with New Democracy. He went on to hold a string of ministerial posts, including deputy foreign minister, minister for trade, minister for education and religious affairs, minister for national defence on two separate occasions, and minister for justice. He also served as vice president of the European People’s Party from 1985 to 1996 and as vice president of New Democracy from 1994 to 1997.

Over his career he held several senior parliamentary roles, sat on Greece’s delegation to the association talks with the European Economic Community during the 1960s, and took part in NATO parliamentary assemblies. From January 1998 to August 2010 he chaired the Constantine Karamanlis Institute, and he formally withdrew from active politics in May 2009 after 48 years in public life, having most recently led New Democracy’s delegation of MEPs.

He was the author of numerous legal and political works, and his memoirs, “As I Lived It”, documented a critical period of Greek politics between 1961 and 1993. He was honoured by former president Karolos Papoulias with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, among other state honours.

Varvitsiotis shared his life with Sofi Lanara, whom he met in Vouliagmeni in 1967. The couple were together for five decades until her death in 2015. He is survived by their four children: Miltiadis, who himself served as a government minister; Thomas, who has built a career in communications; Eleni, a journalist with the Financial Times and Greek broadcaster SKAI; and Konstantinos, an architect who broke from the family’s political path.

Pierrakakis: Varvitsiotis earned the trust of the public through his standing, seriousness and moderation

National Economy Minister and Eurogroup President Kyriakos Pierrakakis led the tributes, describing Varvitsiotis as a historic figure of Greece’s post-junta political era and one of the most important pillars of New Democracy.

“Born in Laconia, he served public life with integrity and a strong sense of responsibility, leaving a powerful mark both on our party and on the country,” Pierrakakis wrote. “Through his standing, seriousness and moderation, he earned the respect of his political interlocutors and the trust of citizens. My sincere condolences to Thomas, Miltiadis, Eleni and Konstantinos, and to all those close to him.”

Marinakis: Varvitsiotis was one of the enduring pillars of New Democracy

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis also paid tribute, describing Varvitsiotis as one of the lasting pillars of New Democracy who served the country and the party with consistency, integrity and dedication.

“From today, New Democracy, and indeed the country, are poorer,” Marinakis wrote, extending his condolences to Miltiadis, Thomas, Eleni, Konstantinos and the wider family.

Samaras: Varvitsiotis was a moderate politician of principle and values

Former prime minister Antonis Samaras also issued a statement, describing Varvitsiotis as a politician of great breeding and moderation, guided by principle and values, who made a major and lasting contribution to New Democracy over many years.

“Deeply cultured and with a particular affinity for Greek culture, he loved Greece profoundly, and his native Laconia in particular,” Samaras said. “My sincere condolences to his family.”