Phaedon Gizikis (Greek: Φαίδων Γκιζίκης [ˈfeðon ɟiˈzicis]; 16 June 1917 – 26 July 1999) was a Greek army general who was the last President of Greece under the junta from 1973 to 1974.
Phaedon Gizikis Φαίδων Γκιζίκης | |
|---|---|
Gizikis in 1973 | |
| President of Greece | |
| In office 25 November 1973 – 18 December 1974 | |
| Appointed by | Dimitrios Ioannidis |
| Prime Minister | Adamantios Androutsopoulos Konstantinos Karamanlis |
| Preceded by | Georgios Papadopoulos |
| Succeeded by | Michail Stasinopoulos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 June 1917 |
| Died | 26 July 1999 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Hellenic Military Academy |
| Awards | Gold Cross of Valour Grand Commander of the Order of George I Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix War Cross Medal of Military Merit |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Hellenic Army |
| Years of service | 1939–1974 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | World War II
1967 Greek coup d'état |
Early life and military career
Born in Volos, Kingdom of Greece, Gizikis was a career Hellenic Army officer. His service number was 21756. He graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy in 1939, achieving the rank of second lieutenant in artillery, and participated in the Greco-Italian War and the Greek Civil War. In 1967, he supported the Georgios Papadopoulos coup d'état and received a number of senior military posts during the dictatorship that followed.
Later life
He was given the title of President of the Republic on 25 November 1973, after Papadopoulos was ousted by Dimitrios Ioannidis as head of the regime in an internal power struggle. Three days later, he was promoted to full General (Strategos), a decision he signed himself. While serving as president, following the supported coup in Cyprus, he would detract from open confrontation with Turkish forces during the invasion of Cyprus. Ioannidis would later blame Gizikis and other hesitant leaders as the reason for the Greek loss. As president he gave the task of forming a new government, following the collapse of the Junta, to Constantine Karamanlis. After the fall of the dictatorship in 1974, he retained his post for four months pro tempore, until a new constitution could be enacted during metapolitefsi; he was then replaced by Michail Stasinopoulos.
Gizikis retired from the army in 1974, on the same day he resigned from his position as head of state. In 1976, a military judicial council dropped proceedings against him and 88 other former officers charged with treason and mutiny for collaborating with the former junta.
He died on 26 July 1999 at the NIMTS military hospital in Athens, just one month after his predecessor, Georgios Papadopoulos.
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