Theodoros Roussopoulos
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Theodoros Roussopoulos (; born 13 September 1963) 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 ...
journalist, politician and university professor. He entered politics in 2000 and served as the
Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
and Government Spokesman from 7 March 2004 to 23 October 2008. He is currently an adjunct professor at the
European University Cyprus The European University Cyprus (EUC) () is a private, for-profit university in Nicosia, Cyprus which evolved out of Cyprus College, the oldest institution of higher education in Cyprus. EUC has a selective admission policy based on students' p ...
, 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 the
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is the head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE): the deliberative consultative body of the Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is ...
.


Career in Journalism

His journalism career begin in 1981 in the daily newspaper ''
Eleftherotypia ''Eleftherotypia'' () was a daily national newspaper published in Athens, Greece. Published since 21 July 1975, it was the first newspaper to appear after the fall of the Regime of the Colonels, and for most of its period had been one of the ...
'', where he remained until 1994. During this time, he also contributed to the monthly ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'' magazine. He is a founding member of
Mega Channel MEGA Channel, also known as MEGA TV or just MEGA, is a television network in Greece, that broadcasts a mix of foreign and Greek programming. It is the first and the oldest private television network in Greece. History Mega Channel (1989–2018 ...
TV station, for which he worked from 1989 to 1999 as an editor-in-chief and political analyst. He also produced the "7+7" documentary program. From 1987 to 1989, he contributed to Athena 98.4 FM radio station as a founding member and, in 1999, to Star Channel TV station. He has also contributed from 1994 to 1999 to Messimvrini newspaper and Kathimerini newspaper as an analyst. In 1987 he was a member of the committee of ethics at "Piraeus Channel 1" and he is currently a publisher at Enastron publications.


Political career

His political career began in 2000 with his appointment as
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 ...
spokesman and press representative. After the 2004 general election, he was appointed as Minister of State and Government Spokesman by incoming Prime Minister
Kostas Karamanlis Konstantinos A. Karamanlis (; born 14 September 1956), commonly known as Kostas Karamanlis (, ), is a Greek retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece, prime minister of Greece from 2004 to 2009. He was also president of the Centr ...
. As Minister of State, Roussopoulos was responsible for the Secretariat General of Communication and the Secretariat General of Information, which, since its abolition in 2004, incorporated the functions of Ministry of the Press and Mass Media. In addition to his committee assignments, Rousopoulos has been a member of the Greek delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...
(PACE) since 2019. In the Assembly, he serves on the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (since 2019); the Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People (since 2022); the Sub-Committee on Diasporas and Integration (since 2022); the Sub-Committee on Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings (since 2022); and the Sub-Committee on Education, Youth and Sport (since 2019). In 2024, Roussopoulos, a member of 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 ...
delegation, was elected as President of the Assembly for a one-year term. Like the rest of his delegation, he is part of the
European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian democracy, Christian democratic, liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative, and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other p ...
group within the Assembly. As reaction to the cancellation of presidential elections in Romania he requested an urgent report by the
Venice Commission The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...
about the conditions under which a constitutional court can invalidate elections drawing from the recent Romanian case. In January 2025 he was reelected with support from all five political groups and all its 612 Members.


The Vatopedi scandal

On October 23, 2008 the
Vatopedi The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi (, ) is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, Greece. The monastery was expanded several times during its history, particularly during the Byzantine period and in the 18t ...
scandal prompted State Minister and government spokesperson Theodoros Roussopoulos to resign before Parliament's investigation. Roussopoulos, criticized for his alleged role in a property exchange, cited a desire to defend himself against corruption allegations. New Democracy's decision not to participate in a vote on a preliminary judicial inquiry, ensuring its failure, added controversy. An investigative committee, approved by Parliament, would examine potential government involvement. Roussopoulos, a former journalist, started his political career in 2000 and resigned amid scrutiny. Also, throughout the controversy his marriage to journalist Mara Zacharea faced ethical concerns. The situation sparked widespread condemnation and raised questions about political accountability. Years later, all parties involved were ultimately cleared of wrongdoing. No convictions were handed down. Nevertheless, there were concerns about the depth of the investigation into the money laundering allegations, as reported by various news sources.


Career in the Academia

From 1997 to 1999 he taught “Television & Politics: the debates between presidential candidates of parties and prime ministers” at the
University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...
as a teaching associate. Since 2009, he is a Lecturer at the Pepperdine University of California. In 2015 he finished his Ph.D. thesis at University of Edinburgh. He currently teaches Journalism as an adjunct professor at the European University of Cyprus since 2015.


Personal life

He is married to the journalist Mara Zacharea (Μάρα Ζαχαρέα) and has two children, Vasilis and Anna.


References


External links


Secretariat General of Communication/Secretariat General of Information profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roussopoulos, Theodoros 1963 births Living people People from Kyparissia Alumni of the University of Edinburgh New Democracy (Greece) politicians Greek MPs 2004–2007 Greek MPs 2007–2009 Greek journalists Ministers of state of Greece Greek MPs 2019–2023 Greek MPs 2023–