Venizelos to steer Greek economy
ATHENS — Evangelos Venizelos, confirmed Friday as finance minister in a new Greek unity government, is seen as a political bruiser with the toughness to push through...
Khaleej Times
The burly 54-year-old, who as finance minister for the last five months has battled to steer Greece through the eurozone crisis, now has one of the most unenviable jobs on Earth — hauling his debt-wracked country back from the abyss.

But the bruising and brilliant former law professor is seen as having the necessary toughness to force through the brutal austerity measures required to chop down Greece’s debt mountain and keep it in the eurozone.

One of his first acts as finance minister was to push through a law imposing austerity measures worth 28 billion euros ($39 billion), including 50 billion euro in privatisation measures, in the teeth of violent protests on the streets.

And he has long been a rival to outgoing prime minister George Papandreou, challenging him unsuccessfully for the leadership in 2007.

Now the constitutional law expert will require all his respected rhetorical skills to explain to the Greek people why they again need to tighten their belts after two years of painful austerity that has crippled the economy.

Originally from Thessaloniki, a large city in northern Greece, he has represented the area in parliament since 1993 and began his political career as a lawyer for Papandreou’s father — also prime minister — in the late 80s.

And he has had a wide range of ministerial responsibility, taking in transport, justice, development and culture.

In this last post, he was responsible for the frenetic planning of the 2004 Athens Olympics, which ended massively over budget.

With the necessary infrastructure frequently running behind schedule, Venizelos — then culture minister — repeatedly sparred with Olympic officials and opposition politicians who criticised Greece’s progress.

He speaks fluent French — which might open doors in the corridors of power in Brussels — but his command of English is said to be less sure.

Married with one daughter, he is no relation to the father of modern Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos.

Despite his association with the Papandreou family, Venizelos mounted a determined challenge in 2007 to wrest control of the party from Andreas’ son George, who had become leader of the Socialists three years previously, after the party was twice defeated in elections.

Handily defeated, he made his peace with George Papandreou and was rewarded with the post of party speaker in parliament before being appointed to the defence ministry when the Socialists swept to power in October 2009.

He brought his customary aggressiveness to his new post, entering into tough negotiations with German and Arab investors in an effort to save jobs at one of Greece’s top shipyards.

A decade earlier, Venizelos had also spearheaded a 2001 revision to the Greek constitution.

One of his greatest challenges was to quash opposition to the construction of a new museum beneath the Acropolis which residents and archaeologists claimed would destroy pre-existing antiquities.