Editing Alekos Alavanos

{{short description|Greek politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Alexandros Alavanos
| native_name         = {{Nobold|{{Lang|el|Αλέκος Αλαβάνος}}}}
| image               = MEP Alekos Alavanos.jpg
| caption             = Alekos Alavanos
| office              = [[Synaspismos|President of Synaspismos]]
| term_start          = 12 December 2004
| term_end            = 11 February 2008
| predecessor         = [[Nikos Konstantopoulos]]
| successor           = [[Alexis Tsipras]]
| constituency_MP1    = [[Greece (European Parliament constituency)|Greece]]
| parliament1         = European
| term_start1         = 15 June 1989
| term_end1           = 13 June 2004
| term_start2         = 18 October 1981
| term_end2           = 17 June 1984
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1950|05|22|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Athens]], Greece
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Plan B (Greece)|Plan B]] (2013–2018)
| otherparty          = [[Communist Party of Greece|KKE]] (?–1991) <br /> [[Coalition of the Radical Left|SYRIZA]] (1991–2013)
| parents             = 
| profession          = 
}}

'''Alexandros 'Alekos' Alavanos''' ({{langx|el|Αλέξανδρος 'Αλέκος' Αλαβάνος}}; born 22 May 1950 in [[Athens]]) is a [[Greece|Greek]] politician, former member of the [[Hellenic Parliament]] and the [[European Parliament]]. From 2004 until 2008 he was president of the [[Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology]], commonly known as ''Synaspismos''. He was parliamentary leader of the wider [[Coalition of the Radical Left]] (SYRIZA).

==Biography==

===Early life===
Born on 22 May 1950 in [[Athens]], Alavanos has been politically active since his youth. During the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|military dictatorship of 1967-1974]], Alavanos participated in the student movement against the regime; as a result his military service deferment was revoked and he was briefly [[prison|incarcerated]] in the EAT/ESA military prison.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

===Political career===
He was elected to the [[European Parliament]] in 1981 with the [[Communist Party of Greece]] and again in 1989, 1994 and 1999 with Synaspismos.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

In the [[2004 Greek legislative election]], Alavanos was elected MP in Athens. Since [[Nikos Konstantopoulos]], his predecessor in Synaspismos' leadership, announced his intention not to be a candidate for another term, Alavanos announced his own candidacy for the office. The party congress elected him president on 12 December 2004.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

In the [[2007 Greek legislative election]], running as leader of SYRIZA, which more than doubled its parliamentary seats, he was narrowly elected an MP in Heraklion, Crete.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

On 27 November 2007, Alavanos announced that he would not apply for a renewal of his presidency of Synaspismos at its 5th party congress in February 2008, due to private reasons.<ref>[http://www.syn.gr/gr/keimeno.php?id=8163 Synaspismos press release]</ref> He was replaced by [[Alexis Tsipras]].

{{Quote box|width=246px|bgcolor=#F5FAFF|align=left|quote="In Europe all the big powers, the parties, the banks, the big corporations have a plan B to deal with the prospect of Greece's exit from the eurozone. Only Greece has not in hand a plan B. Both the government and the parties in opposition have neglected the necessity to work on a plan B. If however, Greece is taken by surprise when forced to exit the eurozone, with people panicking, this is going to be a disaster."|source=—Alavanos, as quoted in [[Workers' Liberty]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2012/12/11/greek-left-and-plan-b|title=The Greek left and Plan B|publisher=[[Workers' Liberty]]|date=11 December 2012|accessdate=9 May 2013}}</ref>}}

In February 2011 he left [[Synaspismos]] and founded the [[Front of Solidarity and Overthrow]] with other former members of [[Coalition of the Radical Left]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}} [[Communist Organization of Greece]], [[Internationalist Workers' Left (Greece)|Internationalist Workers' Left]], [[Movement for the United in Action Left]] and [[Anticapitalist Political Group]] joined the front, but they left it in 2012 due to political disputes.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

He again founded a new political party in 2013, founding [[Plan B (Greece)|Plan B]] specifically to contest the [[2014 European Parliament election in Greece]].<ref name="ek">{{cite web|url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_12/03/2013_487173|title=Ex-SYRIZA leader Alavanos to launch 'Plan B' movement favoring Greek euro exit|publisher=[[Kathimerini]]|date=12 March 2013|accessdate=9 May 2013}}</ref> The party's platform is centered on exiting Greece from the eurozone.<ref name="ek" />

===Personal life===
Alekos Alavanos is an [[economist]]. He is married to Aikaterini Charalambaki and is the father of two daughters.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}

==See also==
* [[Politics of Greece]]

==Notes==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Commons category|Alekos Alavanos}}
* [http://www.syn.gr/cv/alavanos.htm Short biography in Greek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504213102/http://www.syn.gr/alavanos/ |date=2006-05-04 }}
* {{MEP}}
* {{Hellenic Parliament|64d513b0-ac72-47c5-9615-003eacc6a29d}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.syn.gr/alavanos/ |title=Personal page of ''Alekos Alavanos'' |accessdate=2004-12-12 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504213102/http://www.syn.gr/alavanos/ |archivedate=2006-05-04 |language=el}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Nikos Konstantopoulos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Synaspismos|Chairman of Synaspismos]]|years=2004 – 2008}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alexis Tsipras]]}} 
{{end}}

{{Party of the European Left}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alavanos, Alekos}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Politicians from Athens]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Greece MEPs]]
[[Category:Coalition of Left, of Movements and Ecology MEPs]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 2004–2007]]
[[Category:Greek MPs 2007–2009]]
[[Category:MEPs for Greece 1981–1984]]
[[Category:MEPs for Greece 1984–1989]]
[[Category:MEPs for Greece 1989–1994]]
[[Category:MEPs for Greece 1994–1999]]
[[Category:MEPs for Greece 1999–2004]]
[[Category:Chairpersons of Synaspismos]]