Galato Alexandraki
Galato Alexandraki | |
|---|---|
| Γαλάτω Αλεξανδράκη | |
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Greece | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Galato Alexandraki 11 December 1948 Didymoteicho, Evros, Greece |
| Political party | Greek Solution (2019–present) |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Livestock farm worker • butcher • politician |
Galato "Toula" Alexandraki (Greek: Γαλάτω Αλεξανδράκη; born 11 December 1948) is a Greek retired livestock farm worker, and member of the European Parliament for the Greek Solution party.[1]
Galato Alexandraki was born in Didymoteicho and raised in Koufovouno, Evros, where she lived as a livestock farmer until the 1990s. She then relocated to Alexandroupolis and established a butcher's shop, which she continues to run with her son.
Her election result was a major surprise, given that she was virtually unknown not only in the Evros prefecture, where she stood, but also in Alexandroupolis, where she resides and works.[2][3] Despite not conducting any election campaign, she secured 51,237 votes and came second on the Hellenic Solution ballot paper.[4] Kyriakos Velopoulos, the party leader, stated that Alexandraki was included on the ballot at the request of local farmers.[3] However, the "Breeders of Greece" association has denied any involvement in the selection of candidates.[5] It has also emerged that Alexandraki participated in the double national elections of 2023 (in the Eastern Attica electoral district) to meet the gender quota requirement of 40% for female candidates across all parties.[5] The party leader and Alexandraki herself have attributed her success to her surname starting with the first letter of the Greek alphabet, which placed her at the top of the ballot paper.[5]
Alexandraki, along with Fredi Beleri and Afroditi Latinopoulou, was listed by POLITICO as one of the most eccentric new MEPs in the European Parliament.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "'I don't know how this happened,' says elderly MEP elected with far-right party | eKathimerini.com". Ekathimerini. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ "Γαλάτω Αλεξανδράκη: «Μπήκα για να βοηθήσω, δεν το περίμενα» - Η νεοεκλεγμένη ευρωβουλευτής της Ελληνικής Λύσης στις πρώτες δηλώσεις της on camera". www.naftemporiki.gr. June 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Σταύρος Τζίμας. "Ευρωεκλογές 2024: Πώς έφτασε η κυρα-Γαλάτω στην Ευρωβουλή" ["European Elections 2024: How Ms. Galato got to the European Parliament"]. Καθημερινή (in Greek). Αθήνα.
- ^ "Η Γαλάτω Αλεξανδράκη είδε φως και μπήκε". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ. June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Αλεξία Καλαϊτζή (2 July 2024). "Μάνα, μου είπε, βγαίνεις". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ.
- ^ Eddy Wax and Hanne Cokelaere. "The 23 kookiest MEPs heading to the European Parliament". POLITICO.