Dimitris Elias (or Iliádis)

Early Life and Education

Dimitris Elias (also known as Dimítris Iliádis) was born in 1947 in Whitehouse, Cyprus. He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Career

Elias is a Greek Cypriot politician who has served in various capacities. He began his career by practicing law in Nicosia from 1980. In 1985, he was elected to the House of Representatives in the Famagusta Electoral District with the EDEK party and remained there until 2001.

Parliamentary Career

During his tenure as a Member of Parliament (MP), Elias served as chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment and a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs. He was re-elected in 1991 for the Sixth Parliamentary Period and again in 1996 for the VII Parliamentary Period.

Ministerial Appointments

Elias held several ministerial positions:

* In 2005, he became a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Cyprus.
* On March 14, 2011, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture.
* Following the resignation of his predecessor due to an accidental explosion at the Evangelios Florakis naval base in Zýgi on July 11, 2011, Elias was appointed Minister of Defence on July 14, 2011.

Personal Life

Elias is married to Angeliki Hatzisavva (also known as Angeliki Hadjisavva) and has two children, Sofia and Yannis.