Elena Kountoura | |
|---|---|
Έλενα Κουντουρά | |
 | |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2019 | |
| Constituency | Greece |
| Minister for Tourism | |
| In office 23 September 2015 – 3 May 2019 | |
| President | Prokopis Pavlopoulos |
| Prime Minister | Alexis Tsipras |
| Preceded by | Alkistis Protopsalti |
| Succeeded by | Thanasis Theocharopoulos |
| In office 27 January 2015 – 28 August 2015 | |
| President | Prokopis Pavlopoulos |
| Prime Minister | Alexis Tsipras |
| Preceded by | Olga Kefalogianni |
| Succeeded by | Alkistis Protopsalti |
| Member of the Hellenic Parliament forAthens A | |
| In office 2004–2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-11-02)2 November 1962 (age 62) Athens,Greece |
| Political party | Syriza (from 2019) Independent Greeks (2012–2019) New Democracy (until 2012) |
| Spouse | Sarantis Papachristopoulos |
| Relations | Alexandros Kountouras (father), Nikos Kountouras (brother) |
| Alma mater | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |
| Website | elenakountoura.gr |
Elena Kountoura (Greek:Έλενα Κουντουρά, also romanized asElena Koundoura; born 2 November 1962) is a Greek politician,Member of the European Parliament, ex-Minister of Tourism (resigned in 2019 in order to participate in theEuropean Parliament's elections) in theCabinet of Alexis Tsipras, and Member of Parliament forAthens A, for theIndependent Greeks, and earlier forNew Democracy. Before her entrance into politics, she was an internationalmodel, director of a women's magazine and a track-and-field athlete.
She was born in Athens and is the daughter of the formerHellenic Army officer andmonarchistAlexandros Kountouras. Her father is co-founder and ongoing leader of BEO (Βυζαντινή Εθνική Οργάνωση,Vyzantini Ethniki Organosi, "National Byzantine Organisation", earlierVasiliki Ethniki Organosi, "National Royal Organisation"), the title of which was changed in theMetapolitefsi for legal reasons.[1]
Kountoura was engaged in athletics from childhood. Her father enrolled her in the National Gymnastic Academy of Greece at the age of twelve as a high-jumper in training.[2] She is a graduate of the National Gymnastic Academy and of the Department of Sport Science and Physical Education (TEFAA) at theNational and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She was a top athlete on the Greek National Track and Field Team, and won the high jump and the 100 metre dash at the 1978 Panhellenic Women's Track & Field Championship.[3]
From 1984 to 1997 she had an international career as a model, and in 1990 she was chosen byCNN as one of the ten most beautiful models in the world.[3] She collaborated for many years withSerge Lutens, a well-known French photographer, designer and producer in the world of fashion, while also having the good fortune to collaborate with the Japanese cosmetics companyShiseido, and is the model most recognized as spokesperson for that brand, and whose face was published in international campaigns.[4]
In 1997, she returned to Greece, and from 2004 she was director of a women's magazine. In the2004 elections, she was elected member of parliament forAthens A forNew Democracy. In 2007 and 2009 she was runner-up, even though in 2007 she gathered more votes than in 2004.[3] In November 2011, Elena returned to parliament whenDimitris Avramopoulos vacated his parliamentary seat to become a minister in the government ofLucas Papademos. In February 2012, she voted against the "Memorandum 2" and party leaderAntonis Samaras struck her from theparty list of New Democracy.[3]
In the dual elections of May and June 2012, she was elected member of parliament for Athens A withIndependent Greeks, while as of 2014 she assumed the office of Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee for Cinema.[3]
On 14 January 2019, she was expelled fromIndependent Greeks due to her continuing support for theTsipras government following thePrespa agreement, which sparked the party's withdrawal from the governing coalition.[5] She was then elected to theEuropean Parliament on theSyriza ticket at the2019 election.
Kountoura is married to formerPanellinios andOlympiacos basketball playerSarantis Papachristopoulos, her second husband. The couple have two boys, Alexandros and Marios. Previously she was married to (soccer) footballerMichel Pineda. Papachristopoulos is also a magazine entrepreneur, having worked to localise risqué lifestyle and entertainment magazines such asShock,Playboy, andPenthouse for the Greek market through the companyDafni Epikinonies (Daphne Communications). Her older brother is Nikos Kountouras, who works as her political adviser. Nikos is married to former model Xenia Pantazi; for ten years, he worked as his sister's manager, and then, together with his wife, had a modelling agency known asElena's Models.[2]
Kountoura is a noted philanthropist, having served as a goodwill ambassador forUNESCO,UNICEF. She founded her own philanthropic organizationEuropa Donna Hellas, capitalising on her fame as a model and their publishing connections to bring attention to various causes, in cooperation with her husband, capitalising on his ongoing editorial positions.[2] Kountoura speaks English, French and Spanish in addition to her native Greek.[2] She is still an agency-represented model, currently with Stars Model Management based inSan Francisco.
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