Kyriakos Velopoulos
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Kyriakos Iosif Velopoulos (; born 24 October 1965) is a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
politician. He is a member of the
Hellenic Parliament The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme demo ...
and has been president of the
Greek Solution The Greek Solution () is a political party in Greece founded by Kyriakos Velopoulos. The party is Right-wing politics, right-wing to Far-right politics, far-right and has been described as ideologically Ultranationalism, ultranationalist, Nationa ...
political party since its foundation in 2016. Velopoulos is a former parliamentarian for the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) and former member of
New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a type of democracy in Marxism, based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that w ...
. He is also a journalist, author and television personality.


Early life and education

He was born in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
and grew up in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. After his graduation from Dendropotamos high school, he studied
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
at the Center of Liberal Philosophical Social Studies (a private educational institution) in Thessaloniki under a scholarship and graduated from there in 1990. He earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
on
Greek civilization The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Minoan and later in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, while influencing the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine Empire. Other cultu ...
studies from the
Open University of Cyprus The Open University of Cyprus (OUC; Greek: Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου), in Lefkosia (Nicosia), is a public university in Cyprus, specialized in open and distance education. OUC evolved in response to the growing demand ...
in 2013 and a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in journalism from the same university in 2016.Kyriakos Velopoulos – Hellenic Parliament
/ref> During his compulsory
military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...
in the
Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...
, he served as an officer on the islands of North-Eastern
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
, and the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
mainland. He is a member of the
Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
of the
Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and a member of the Union of Writers of Northern Greece. He was a member of ONNED, the youth organisation of
New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a type of democracy in Marxism, based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that w ...
(ND) until 1988 and ideologically defines himself as belonging to the "patriotic ND".


Political career


In LAOS

He was a member of the Popular Orthodox Rally (
LAOS Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
), the
right-wing populist Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establishm ...
party of Georgios Karatzaferis where he was a candidate in the 2004 Greek parliamentary elections, taking 5,700 votes. But he failed to be elected, because
LAOS Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
received only 2.19% of votes. In the regional elections of 2006, he was a candidate as Governor of
Pella Prefecture Pella () is one of the regional units of Greece, in the geographic region of Macedonia. It is part of the Region of Central Macedonia. It is named after the ancient city of Pella, the capital of ancient Macedonia and the birthplace of Alexander th ...
where he came third with 7.11% and 2 seats. In the parliamentary elections of 2007 and
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, he was elected in the B prefecture of Thessaloniki. In 2010 Velopoulos was chosen by LAOS as its candidate in the region of
Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( ; , ) is one of the thirteen Regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece, consisting the central part of the Geographic regions of Greece, geographical and historical region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. With a ...
.


In New Democracy

On May 20, 2012, Velopoulos made the decision to leave the
LAOS Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
political party along with other politicians and joined the
New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a type of democracy in Marxism, based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that w ...
party. He proclaimed to support "the large
centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
faction with a European orientation" although he declined to run as a candidate in the 2012 legislative elections. After a number of years with New Democracy, Velopoulos made the decision in 2015 to depart from the party with the aim of creating a new political party.


In Greek Solution

In 2016, he founded the
Greek Solution The Greek Solution () is a political party in Greece founded by Kyriakos Velopoulos. The party is Right-wing politics, right-wing to Far-right politics, far-right and has been described as ideologically Ultranationalism, ultranationalist, Nationa ...
party. From 2016 onward he has served as president of the political party
Greek Solution The Greek Solution () is a political party in Greece founded by Kyriakos Velopoulos. The party is Right-wing politics, right-wing to Far-right politics, far-right and has been described as ideologically Ultranationalism, ultranationalist, Nationa ...
"", which won 10 national parliamentary seats in the
2019 Greek legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 7 July 2019. The elections were called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on 26 May 2019 after the ruling Syriza party lost the 2019 European Parliament election in Greece, European and 2019 Greek lo ...
. Following the 2019 elections Velopoulos holds the parliamentary seat in the prefecture of
Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...
. In the 2019 Εuropean elections, his party gained one seat for the Εuropean parliament. In the 2023
June June is the sixth and current month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds May and precedes July. This month marks the start of su ...
and
May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...
elections the party managed to slightly raise its percentage from the previous elections. In the 2024 EU elections his party almost doubled its percentage climbing to an astounding 9.3% electing two MEPs Velopoulos has raised objections about the indictment of Golden Dawn's members and he has characterised the arrests of them as a well-played plot οrchestrated "by the domestic government and judicial system".


Journalism

As a journalist he has worked in a number of radio and television stations, such as "TV Thessaloniki", "Ερμής", "Best", "Top", "Opion", "TeleAsty", where he presented his two major shows "Η Βουλή" and "Ελληνόραμα", in which he promotes his books. Today he is presenter and owner of "Alert TV" channel.


Work as an author

He is the author of ''Greece Bleeds'', which he claims deals with the corruption of Greek society, army, legal system and politics, and ''Alexander, the Greatest of the Greeks'', a detailed biography of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
which includes arguments on the subject's Greek origins.


Controversy

In 2012, it was revealed that he had sent the amount of €400,000 abroad, amid fears of Greece defaulting. In 2014, Velopoulos advertised a book by the author Ioannis Papazisis entitled ''"Manuscripts reveal the unknown moments of Christ''" through his telemarketing broadcast. The book contains copies of manuscripts found in the monasteries of
Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
, including medieval manuscripts of the Jesus Abgar epistles. Several years later during the run-up to the
2019 Greek legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 7 July 2019. The elections were called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on 26 May 2019 after the ruling Syriza party lost the 2019 European Parliament election in Greece, European and 2019 Greek lo ...
, where Velopoulos was running for office, some Greek media outlets reintroduced excerpts of the 2014 book sale alleging that Velopoulos advertised "
epistles An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...
of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
". This elicited widespread criticism from the Greek academic community and mainstream media, which disputed the historicity of these particular artifacts and accused Velopoulos of misleading consumers. Velopoulos initially denied having engaged in the sale of the letters, later acknowledging the fact and stating that he would continue to sell them, claiming that his critics lacked the knowledge necessary to dispute the letter's authenticity. He supported that the epistles are authentic and kept in monasteries of
Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Velopoulos, Kyriakos Greek Solution (political party) 1965 births Living people Greek television personalities Greek MPs 2007–2009 Popular Orthodox Rally politicians Greek Solution politicians Greek Solution MEPs Greek MPs 2009–2012 MPs of Thessaloniki MEPs for Greece 2019–2024 Politicians from Thessaloniki Greek MPs 2019–2023 Greek MPs 2023– Politicians from Essen