Vassos Lyssarides

Vassos Lyssarides
Lyssarides in 2011
6th President of the House of Representatives
In office 1986–1991
Preceded by	Georgios Ladas
Succeeded by	Alexis Galanos
1st President of EDEK
In office 1969–2001
Succeeded by	Yiannakis Omirou
Personal details
Born	13 May 1920 Lefkara, Cyprus
Political party	EDEK
Spouse(s)	Barbara Cornwall Lyssarides
Religion	Church of Cyprus
Website	www.lyssarides.com/

Vassos Lyssarides (born 1920) is a Cypriot politician who has been a central figure in Cyprus politics since the island's independence. He was born in 1920 in the village of Lefkara. He was educated at the Pancyprian Gymnasium and then studied medicine at the University of Athens.

Political career

He became involved in politics early on in his life as a medical student in Athens, campaigning for Enosis (Union of Cyprus with Greece), and as a doctor he took an active part in the armed anticolonial struggle of EOKA for Enosis against the British (1955-1959). He participated in the London conference in 1959 for the establishment of Cyprus independence and, along with Tassos Papadopoulos, were the only ones to disagree with the Zurich-London Agreements. In 1960 he was elected member of the first parliament of the Cyprus Republic as a candidate for the Patriotic Front,^[1] and since then has been re-elected to all the consecutive parliaments.

In 1969, he founded EDEK, the first Socialist political party of Cyprus. He was repeatedly elected president of his party until the year 2002. In 2002, he assumed the title of Honorary President.

On 30 August 1974, an attempt was made against his life; during the attack, EDEK youth leader Doros Loizou was killed.^[2] Lyssarides was elected and served as President of the House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991.

References

1. Larkou, Larkos (January 2008). ΔΕΚΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΕΣ ΦΥΣΙΟΓΝΩΜΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟY (Ten Political figures of Cyprus).
2. "Greek Cypriot civil war feared after ambush". The Times. August 31, 1974. pp. 1; Issue 59180; col B. Retrieved 2008-07-17.