Alekos Michailidis
Alekos Michailidis was a Cypriot politician who served as Foreign Minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cyprus.
Michailidis was born in Milikouri, Cyprus, in 1933. He studied Economics in Atlanta and returned to Cyprus where he worked in the island's tourist industry until the July 1974 Invasion of Cyprus by the Turks.
Michailidis entered politics in 1976 being elected to the House of Representatives under the banner of the Democratic Party of Cyprus. The following year, on September 3, President Makarios died and Spyros Kyprianou, as Speaker of the House, replaced him. Michailidis was then chosen to replace Kyprianou as Speaker of the House of Representatives, a post he served in until 1981.
In 1980, Michailidis left the Democratic Party, founding his own party - NEDIPA - which failed to gather the required minimum percentage of the vote to elect any representatives.
In 1988, Michailidis joined the Democratic Rally Party (DISY) of Glafkos Clerides. When Clerides was elected President, Michailidis was appointed Foreign Minister serving at that post from February 28, 1993 until March 8, 1997.
He died on January 6, 2008 in Paphos after a lengthy battle against cancer.