Alexis Tsipras

Alexis Tsipras is a Greek engineer and politician who heads the political party Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) and also the political alliance Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA).

Tsipras was born on July 28 1974 in Athens. He studied engineering at the National Metsovo Polytechnic Institute and is a civil engineer by profession.

As a student, Tsipras joined the Communist Youth (KNE) and took part in the student uprisings of 1990-1991. In 1999, he was elected chairman of the youth movement of Synaspismos. In December 2004, he was elected to the Central Political Committee of the party.

In October 2006, Tsipras was elected to the Athens City Council. In February 2008, at age 33, he succeeded Alekos Alavanos as head of the Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) and also the political alliance Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) of which Synaspismos is the largest and dominant party.

Tsipras was first elected to the Hellenic Parliament in October 2009 from the First District of Athens. He was re-elected in May 2012.

Personal

Tsipras lives with his partner Betty Baziana. The couple have a son who was born in May 2010.