Elsie Chiratou
Elsie Chiratou | |
|---|---|
Έλση Χηράτου | |
 Chiratou in 2009 | |
| First Lady of Cyprus | |
| In office 28 February 2008 – 28 February 2013 | |
| President | Demetris Christofias |
| Preceded by | Fotini Papadopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Andri Moustakoudes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 October 1952 |
| Party | AKEL |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Christos Christofias |
| Alma mater | Institute of Social Sciences of Moscow |
Elsie Chiratou (Greek: Έλση Χηράτου; born 7 October 1952) is a Cypriot politician. She is the widow of president of Cyprus Demetris Christofias, and as such is a former First Lady of Cyprus.
Life
[edit]Chiratou was born on 7 October 1952, in Pelendri, British Cyprus, although in 1955 her family moved to Limassol, where she grew up.[1][2] In the early 1970s, she moved to Moscow to study at the Institute of Social Sciences.[1][2]
During the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, she and her husband Dimitris Christofias traveled from Dikomo to Nicosia to resist the coup.[3] Between 1975 and 1977 she worked for the Pan-Cyprian Federation of Women's Organizations (POGO) from 1975 to 1977 and from 1977 to 2013, she worked for the AKEL Nicosia-Kyrenia District Committee.[1]
She became First Lady of Cyprus on 28 February 2008 when her husband Christofias was sworn in President of Cyprus.[4] She was the first left-wing First Lady, and during her tenure she remained close to vulnerable communities, working to ensure that people with disabilities could access the Presidential Palace, and has served as honorary president of various institutions and charitable organizations in the country, such as the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre.[2][5]
Christofias died on 21 June 2019 from a long illness.[6]
Personal life
[edit]In Moscow, Chiratou met Dimitris Christofias, whom she married on 20 August 1972 in Dikomo and with whom she had three children, including the politician Christos Christofias.[1][2][3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Χριστόφια Έλση Χηράτου" [Christofia Elsi Chiratou]. Polignosi– The Great Cypriot Encyclopaedia (in Greek). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Οι Πρώτες Κυρίες της Κύπρου από το 1977 μέχρι σήμερα" [The First Ladies of Cyprus from 1977 to the present day] (in Greek). must.com.cy. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Δημήτρης Χριστόφιας: Από το Δίκωμο στο Προεδρικό (εικόνες)" [Demetris Christofias: From Dikomo to the Presidential Palace (images)]. Phileleftheros (in Greek). 21 June 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ↑ "New Cyprus president says unity his priority". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ↑ "Dreams come real for Anti Cancer Society in Cyprus". Financial Mirror. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ↑ "Former Cyprus president Christofias dies at 72". Reuters. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2026.