Top 10: Things you didn’t know about Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou addresses a press conference at the end of a summit of the EU heads of State on June 24, 2011 in Brussels.
Who knew? The Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, who barely survived a vote of no-confidence this week as his country buckles under the pressure of spiraling debt, was born and educated in the United States. Here are some other surprising things you probably didn't know about the leader who is now at the center of the European debt crisis.
1. He was born in St. Paul, Minn., where his father held a university post.
2. He went to Amherst College and Harvard University.
3. The leader of the Papandreou's main political opposition in Athens is Antonis Samaras, his roomamate at Amherst College.
4. His nickname in Greece is “Jeffrey,” a derogatory reference to his American roots.
5. His father was also the prime minister.
6. So was his grandfather.
7. He has more than 44,000 Facebook likes, more than Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who has just over 5,000 likes. But far less than Barack Obama, who has more than 20 million.
8. He drives a Prius and is health conscious in a country where feta cheese and smoking are the national pasttimes.
9. He is a multilingual sociologist who is fluent in Swedish, French and Spanish.
10. He was essential in securing for Athens the 2004 Olympic Games.
For more on George Papandereou and the European debt crisis, click here.
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