Political Career
In 1993, he resigned from the Greek Diplomatic Service to enter the political arena, as a member of the Liberal Party “Nea Dimokratia” and he was elected member of the Central Committee. From 1993 to 1994 he was elected Deputy, member of the Greek Parliament. From 1994 to 2002 he was elected Mayor of Athens and was reelected in October 1998. From 1995 to 1999 he served as Chairman of the Central Union of Local Authorities of Greece. In 1995 he founded and was the first President of the “Permanent Conference of the Mayors of the Capitals of Southeastern Europe”. From 1996 to 2000 he served as Vice President of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and from 1997 to 2002, as a member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. In March 2001 he founded the “Free Citizens Movement (KEP) party” until June 2002. From 2000 to 2002, he was elected President of the “Summit Conference of the Mayors of the World” and during this period he founded the “World Union of Olympic Cities”, “Athens’ International Prize for Democracy”, and “World Institute of Global and Cities’ Diplomacy” (Rome). In 2004 the “New Democracy” party won the elections. Dimitris Avramopoulos took the office of Minister of Tourism until 2006. From 2006 until 2009, he served as Minister of Health And Social Solidarity. In the October 2009 election, Dimitris Avramopoulos was re-elected Deputy, member of the Greek Parliament for Athens A District. After the election of Antonis Samaras in the “New Democracy” party Presidency he was appointed President of the Organizing Committee of the 8th Party Congress held in Athens in June 2010. In July 2010, he assumed the position of Vice-President of “New Democracy”, a post he currently holds. On November 11, 2011 he was appointed Minister of Defence in the coalition Government of Lucas Papademos, resigning from his elected parliament seat, thus adhering to the "New Democracy" stance that no serving Members of Parliament from the Main Opposition Party may serve in ministerial posts. In the May 6, 2012 election, Avramopoulos was elected as a Deputy from the Athens A' electoral district. He was re-elected on the June 17, 2012 general elections. On June 21, 2012 he assumed the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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