Vassilis Leventis
Encyclopedia
Vassilis Leventis is a Greek politician, leader of the Greek centrist party, Union of Centrists
.
where Vassilis Leventis graduated from high school and in 1969 he was admitted to the Civil Engineering
department of the National Technical University of Athens
. During the 70s he ventured into discography.
, which strove to become "the political continuance of the centrist expression in Greece". Leventis aimed to become part of the legacy of some great politicians of the past, such as Eleftherios Venizelos
and George Papandreou, senior. However, his total influence has been marginal, with 1.2% of the total vote (in the 1994 European Parliament election) being his highest achievement ever. His percentage has furthermore declined to 0.38% at the European parliament elections of 2009 and to 0.27% in the Greek legislative election, 2009
.
His views are placed in the centre of the political spectrum with particular emphasis on policies that are "rational", transparent, squarely opposed to corruption
, in favour of the weaker social classes (workers, pensioner
s, farmer
s, single parent
s, etc.), hostile to the concentration of power
in just a few individuals and reform
of the Greek political life
Leventis himself is unreservedly and nearly polemically critical of mainstream
Greek political parties and their leaders. He asserts that Greek politicians are in league with big business interests who control the mainstream media and as a result of this criticism he has been deliberately excluded from publicity, which in his opinion, is the factor that has caused his party to exist only in the margins of Greek politics.
His frequent use of expletives and his animated style of speaking have led him often to be the object of joke
s at his expense, but have also elevated some snippets of his TV shows to cult status.
Union of Centrists
The Union of Centrists is a political party in Greece without parliamentary representation.The party was founded by Vassilis Leventis in 1992 under the title "Union of Centrists and Ecologists". The name was changed shortly after. This party is continued by the old party Center Union.The party...
.
Early life
Vassilis Leventis is the fourth child of Apostolos and Gregoria Leventis. Leventis family moved to PiraeusPiraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
where Vassilis Leventis graduated from high school and in 1969 he was admitted to the Civil Engineering
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
department of the National Technical University of Athens
National Technical University of Athens
The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....
. During the 70s he ventured into discography.
Political career
In a 1992 congress he decided to found the Union of CentristsUnion of Centrists
The Union of Centrists is a political party in Greece without parliamentary representation.The party was founded by Vassilis Leventis in 1992 under the title "Union of Centrists and Ecologists". The name was changed shortly after. This party is continued by the old party Center Union.The party...
, which strove to become "the political continuance of the centrist expression in Greece". Leventis aimed to become part of the legacy of some great politicians of the past, such as Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...
and George Papandreou, senior. However, his total influence has been marginal, with 1.2% of the total vote (in the 1994 European Parliament election) being his highest achievement ever. His percentage has furthermore declined to 0.38% at the European parliament elections of 2009 and to 0.27% in the Greek legislative election, 2009
Greek legislative election, 2009
Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 4 October 2009. An election was not required until September 2011.On 2 September Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced he would request President Karolos Papoulias to dissolve Parliament and call an election...
.
Political views
Vasilis Leventis expresses his political opinion through his Antidiaplokí (Αντιδιαπλοκή) weekly newspaper and his TV show that has been hosted in several stations so far.His views are placed in the centre of the political spectrum with particular emphasis on policies that are "rational", transparent, squarely opposed to corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, in favour of the weaker social classes (workers, pensioner
Pensioner
In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
s, farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s, single parent
Single parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
s, etc.), hostile to the concentration of power
Political power
Political power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
in just a few individuals and reform
Reform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
of the Greek political life
Leventis himself is unreservedly and nearly polemically critical of mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
Greek political parties and their leaders. He asserts that Greek politicians are in league with big business interests who control the mainstream media and as a result of this criticism he has been deliberately excluded from publicity, which in his opinion, is the factor that has caused his party to exist only in the margins of Greek politics.
His frequent use of expletives and his animated style of speaking have led him often to be the object of joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
s at his expense, but have also elevated some snippets of his TV shows to cult status.
External links
- Union of Centrists - Official website
- Union of Centrists Web TV - Web television of the party