Papandreou, Andreas (1919-1996)

Greek socialist politician, founder of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK); prime minister 1981-89, and again 1993-96. He lost the 1989 election after being implicated in an alleged embezzlement scandal, involving the diversion of funds to the Greek government from the Bank of Crete, headed by George Koskotas. In January 1992 a trial cleared Papandreou of all corruption charges.

Son of a former prime minister, he studied law in Athens and at Harvard. He was director of the Centre for Economic Research in Athens 1961-64, and economic adviser to the Bank of Greece.

He was imprisoned April-December 1967 for his political activities, after which he founded PASOK. After another spell in overseas universities, he returned to Greece in 1974. He was leader of the opposition 1977-81, and became Greece's first socialist prime minister. He was re-elected in 1985, but defeated in 1989 after damage to his party and himself from the Koskotas affair. After being acquitted in January 1992, Papandreou's request for a general election was rejected by the government. However, PASOK won the October 1993 general election, and he again became head of government. Following his hospitalization with pneumonia in November 1995, Papandreou resigned the premiership in January 1996; in March he was declared well and released from hospital, but died three months later.