Former Greek Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis dies

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Constantine Mitsotakis, a former conservative prime minister remembered for fierce confrontations with Greece's liberal and socialist parties as well as early free-market reforms during a 60-year political career, died early Monday.

[...] in 1965, he led a group of dissidents who abandoned George Papandreou's liberal Center Union government following its clash with King Constantine II over control of the armed forces — a decision for which most liberal critics never forgave Mitsotakis.

The leader of those dissenters, Antonis Samaras, was eventually welcomed back into the party and defeated Dora Bakoyannis in a leadership contest after the conservatives lost the 2009 election.

After his resignation as party leader, Mitsotakis often made public statements urging governments to take bolder steps in their market reforms, and he led an unsuccessful effort for Greece's president to be elected directly by the people.

Mitsotakis, who enjoyed good health until late in life, also lived long enough to see his youngest child and only son, Kyriakos, elected as leader of New Democracy in January 2016.

Besides those two children, Mitsotakis is survived by two other daughters and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.