Vaso Papandreou will rest forever today in the place where she was born, grew up and loved. In Valimitika, Aegean.
At 3 p.m., today, the funeral service will be held in the Holy Church of Agios Vassiliou, after which her body will be buried in the cemetery of her village.
The “Iron Lady” of Greece, one of the most historical and “vocal” members of PASOKclosed her eyes forever yesterday, severely affected by severe neuropathy which has been hitting her for the last 5 years and has been rapidly worsening in the last year…
In funeral it will be her presentas the president of PASOK has informed Nikos Androulakiswhile it is considered certain that many old, historical members of the Movement will also come to Valimitika to say goodbye. It will certainly be, according to information from “P”, o Kostas Laliotiso Petros Lambrou (founding executive of PAK and PASOK), o Stefanos Tzoumakas and maybe the Kostas Skandalidiso Vangelis Venizeloso Dimitris Reppas. It will be very difficult for him to come Kostas Simitis (he is now 88 years old).
V. Papandreou, K. Simitis, G. Papandreou, K. Laliotis, on June 7, 2004, a few days before the then European elections
The tragic irony-coincidence is that today it is done in Thebes and the wedding of the mayor of Athens and PASOK candidate Haris Doukas. THE Andreas Fouras she was getting ready to go to the wedding, but as she said “it is impossible not to be near Vasso in Valimitika, to say goodbye to her…”.
Wedding guest he was also the former regional governor and MP of Achaia of PASOK Apostolos Katsifarasbut he too he will not go and will be in Valimitika. THE N. Androulakis logically he will go from Valimitika directly to Thebesas well as possibly other high-ranking officials of PASOK. George Papandreou is also invited to the wedding.
Vaso Papandreou left her mark…
Vaso Papandreou is in a class by herself! One of the most traditional and historical members of the old PASOK.
She was called the “iron lady” of Greece for her explosive political temperament. The Times of London “christened” her “Caryatid of Democracy”!
Even Andreas Papandreou didn’t hesitate to put her in front of her! Since the two were more than close friends until the 80s, they became “mortal enemies”…
She passed away yesterday morning at the age of 80. Suffered unimaginably for the last 5 years from severe neuropathy. Especially in the last 6 months she was in a desperate situation, bedridden, unable to move, not even to eat normally…
Beside her on this Calvary, her sisters Angeliki and Evdokia.
June 2017: at the last PASOK Congress he attended
He was born on December 9, 1944 in Valimitika. One of the three daughters of Andreas and Tasia Papandreou from Valimitika in the Aegean. She finished primary school in her village, then went to the Girls’ Gymnasium of Aegion and entered the then ASOEE (Higher Trade) in Athens.
She continued to England where she received an MA from the University of London and a PhD from the University of Reading and then worked as a researcher at Oxford.
⦁ He was Deputy Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology (1985-1986), Deputy Minister of Industry (1986-1987), Deputy Minister of Trade (1988-1989), Minister of Development (1996-1999), Minister of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization (1999-2001) ) and PECHODE (2001-2004).
⦁ In 1989 she was appointed EEC commissioner – the first woman in Europe – for Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs. When, in fact, she openly clashed with the then powerful Margaret Thatcher, refusing to endorse the anti-popular policies of the British “Iron Lady”, the “Times” came out and made a sketch of her, presenting her as… Caryatid and christening her “Caryatid of Democracy”!
⦁ Retired from politics in 2012.
The last visit
The last time Vasso Papandreou officially came to her hometown, Valimitika, was in August 2020.
In the first summer of the coronavirus season. It was August 23, Sunday. The event at the village theater, which adorns the surrounding area of the former primary school, was organized by the Local Community of Valimitikos and the Cultural Association of Valimitikos “O Aeolos”, with the aim of naming the place “Vasso Papandreou Theatre”.
Apparently paid off by 2020…
The then 76-year-old politician, although obviously in a bad medical condition, came accompanied by her two sisters and relatives.
⦁ In June 1995, when the deadly 6.1 Richter earthquake hit Aigio, Vaso Papandreou came the next morning to her village and stayed for days. He did everything he could in the following months for the rapid rehabilitation, and financially, of those affected.
She did a lot for her village
The well-known doctor-surgeon Takis Andrikopoulos (former municipal councilor of Aigio and regional councilor of Western Greece) was one of them close friends of Vassos Papandreou in Aegialia, perhaps the narrowest.
Speaking to “P”, he said: “Very simple person and straightforward. She loved her village and that is why her funeral and burial will take place in Valimitika. He did a lot for the village. But she didn’t want them to go out, because that was her character. It is no coincidence that throughout her political career, not a single word was ever heard about Vasso, about wrongdoing, unlike others…”.
What had she requested for her funeral?
Today, Saturday, at 3 p.m. to Saint Basil’s Church in Valimitikathe funeral procession of Vassos Papandreou will be held and immediately after her burial in the village cemetery.
According to “P” informationherself the deceased had requestedlong ago, from her sisters “when I die, I want to be buried in my beloved village.”
At a dinner in Aigio, with the late iconic mayor of Aigio and “green” Alekos Megaris and George Papandreou (“Step of Aegialia” Archive)
Her former high-ranking colleagues in PASOK had discreetly asked her to hold the funeral in Athens, but Vasso would not accept the conversation.
The president of the Community of Valimitikos, Costas Dimakopoulos he said the day before yesterday afternoon to “P” that “everyone in the village, especially the oldest, mourns because they lost a great fellow citizen, a rare person”.
The deceased has a 2-storey house in Valimitika, in the style of an old mansion, built of brick, near the train tracks.
Thanos Karpis: “He had a lot of fun…”
Thanos Karpis is the man and the politician with whom Vasso Papandreou had the closest, perhaps, personal relations in all of Achaia! The longest-serving mayor of Achaia and a historical member of PASOK, spoke to “P”:
“With Vasso we have known each other for over 45 years… Initially through PASOK and because of her origin from Achaia. Our relations developed particularly and became very strong with the movement of the “4” (SS. K. Simitis, T. Pangalos, P. Avgerinos, V. Papandreou), of which I was a supporter. Vaso was what we call a man. She had a lot of charisma in her.
On parade with Aegio Girls High School
Serious, responsible, composed and good-natured. The reason for the contract. Her biggest and most persistent concern, having also been a commissioner in Europe, was how this country would be modernized, how the reforms would be carried out as quickly and effectively as possible. Even her presentation was such that it helped her to impose herself. However, he had such character and self-confidence, that he imposed himself where he had to.”
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