The funeral took place on Saturday of Manousos Voloudakis, MP of Nea Dimokratia for Chania and a former minister, who was widely admired for his service to the municipality. Manousos Voloudakis died on Wednesday 8th February from lung cancer, leaving behind him three young children, Giorgos, Sifis and Daphne, and his wife Sevi Amantidou.
Many tributes have been paid to Chania MP Manousos Voloudakis, who died on Wednesday 8th February at the age of 57. Photo: Kyvernisi.com
On learning of his death, the city council adopted an official resolution which began as follows:
“Manousos Voloudakis was a man with force of character, honesty and dignity, respected by his political friends and rivals alike. He espoused and fought for the needs of the Municipality of Chania, of the Nomos of Chania, and of his particular homeland, Sfakia, and for the interests of all Haniotes. Our heartfelt condolences to his family and relatives.”
Born in Athens in 1966, Manousos Voloudakis studied Economics at the University of Athens, and took a Masters in Political Economy at the University of Essex in the UK. He was first elected MP for Chania with ND in 2007, was reelected in the double elections of 2012 and again in July 2019. He served on six different committees in the current Parliament.
Political and social activities
He was appointed General Secretary for Trade at the ministry of Development in the period 2005-2006. In January 2010 he assumed the role of Secretary for New Technologies, Research and Innovation with Nea Dimokratia, resigning from the post in December 2011 to take place in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
From June 2012 he was Deputy Minister for Administrative Reform and Digital Governance. From October 2015 to June 2019, he worked in the private sector as Managing Director of International Trade SA, part of the Viohalcos Group, based in Brussels, and in July 2019 he was again elected MP for Chania.
Tributes from friends and colleagues
Since his death dozens of public figures and institutions have paid tribute to Manousos Voloudakis.
The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “Words are inadequate to describe my grief at the loss of Manousos Voloudakis. My good friend and colleague, but also my dear compatriot and faithful ally in Nea Dimokratia. Manousos left an imprint of quality throughout his career. As an MP, as an economist and as a native of Chania. Public life owes him a great deal, since as deputy minister for Administrative Reform he fought bravely against bureaucracy. The government and the party mourn such an untimely loss.”
The Foreign minister Nikos Dendias said: “Manousos Voloudakis was distinguished by his moral character and his consistency in the execution of his parliamentary duties, and his death is matter of grief for all of us.”
The former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said that everyone was deeply saddened by the loss of “a splendid young man, polite, cultured, educated, approachable, and a family head”.
The Regional Governor for Crete Stavros Arnautakis described him as a politician “with consistency and rectitude. An MP who was valued by the community of Chania, which he served at every step of his political careers. His death leaves an irreplaceable gap in Chania, in the party of Nea Dimokratia, in the Greek Parliament and of course among his colleagues and his family,” he said.
Expressing his condolences, the mayor of Kissamos Giorgos Mylonakis said: “Manousos was distinguished by his moral character, his dignity and his politeness, and he served the public sphere, always with democratic and productive positions, respecting the trust of his fellow citizens. He was an untiring fighter in life, a correct family head, an approachable man who was especially loved by all. The political life of our area is the poorer for his loss.”
(Haniotika Nea)
The funeral
The funeral took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Chania on Saturday 11th February. The coffin was on display for three hours from 9.00 am to allow mourners to pay their respects, and the following funeral ceremony was presided over by Evgenios, Archbishop of Crete, accompanied by Metropolitan Amphilochios of Kissamos and Selino.
Among the mourners were the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the President of the Hellenic Parliament Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Finance minister Christos Staikouras and many other national and local political figures. The ceremony included tributes by, among others, the Prime Minister, Chania MP Dora Bakogianni, the Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnautakis and the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis.
After the ceremony the coffin was taken in procession to the cemetery of St Luke in Anapfseos street, accompanied by “vrakoforoi” in traditional costume.