The two front-runners in opinion polls heading into Sunday’s election, Alexis Tsipars and Vangelis Meimarakis, will apparently go to the poll to see who’ll be Greece’s next premier. Here’s a profile of the two…
Date of birth
A. Tsipras: July 28, 1974
V. Meimarakis: Dec. 14, 1953
Ance
A. Tsipras:. His father was born in the NW Epirus province and his mother in Eleftheroupoli, Kavala prefecture, northern Greece.
The Tsipras’ purported ancestral home has been traced to the village of Babaeski, in eastern Thrace, in today’s European Turkey.
V. Meimarakis: Born in Athens, hails from Crete.
Who are their daddies?
A. Tsipras: Pavlos Tsipras was a civil engineer whose construction firm was active in assuming public works, some even during the reign of the …military junta between 1967-74.
V. Meimarakis: Vasileios Tsipras was a politician, elected as deputy from Herakleion, Crete.
Studies
A. Tsipras: Civil engineering at the Athens University, graduating in 2000, before taking post-graduate at the same school.
V. Meimarakis: Graduate of the University of Athens Law School and the School of Political Sciences and Public Administration Department of Panteion University
Personal life
A. Tsipras: Common law marriage to Peristera “Betty” Batziana, whom he met when he was 13. They have two young sons, the youngest is named …Ernesto, as a tribute to Che Guevara
V. Meimarakis: Married to Ioanna Kolokota, daughter of actress Nitsa Marouda,and has two grown daughters.
Wives
P. Batziana: Engineering graduate, loves role as mum, low-key but described as a radical leftie.
I. Kolokota: Economics graduate, worked at bank, camera shy
Style
A. Tsipras: No ties, casual
V. Meimarakis: Formal, usually wears a tie, but not always, wears what appears to be the same grey jacket
Religion
A. Tsipras: A self-described atheist
V. Meimarakis: Greek Orthodox Christian
Sports
A. Tsipras: Panathinaikos fan
V. Meimarakis: Olympiacos fan
Political background
A. Tsipras: The Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader is said to have been radicalized by his wife, but he actually joined the Communist Youth of Greece in the late 1980s before being active in …pupils’ protests against a controversial law — as seen by its critics — as a lad in a high school in Athens’ Ambelokipi district. After departing from the Communist Party he joined Synaspismos in 1991.
V. Meimarakis: He became involved in politics while studying at Panteion university and was a founding member of ONNED (Youth Organization of the New Democracy Party) in 1974.
Party leadership
A. Tsipras: Elected leader on Feb. 10, 2008, at the age of 33 (youngest leader of a Greek political party at the time).
V. Meimarakis: He took over from Antonis Samaras as interim leader of the New Democracy Party following the “No” vote in a referendum.
Goal after the elections
A. Tsipras: To implement the third Greek bailout, but in a kinder and more gentle fashion for the underprivileged
V. Meimarakis: To implement the third Greek bailout, but with the economy finally posting some type of growth at some point.
