Athens - George Papandreou, 57, the US-educated and soft-spoken Socialist politician, won Greek parliamentary elections on Sunday, securing an absolute majority and reclaiming a family legacy. His surname may be reminiscent of old times, being the son and grandson of two former prime ministers. But since being selected to head the Socialist party in 2004 he has fought hard for the radical reform of the party.
With many Greeks sceptical of a party whose old guard had been tainted by allegations of scandals and complacency in the past, Papandreou is determined to bring transparency into Greek politics.
The "revolutionary" Papandreou is seen as a calm, thoughful and diplomatic politician in contrast to the flamboyant personalities of his father Andreas and grandfather George.
The elder Andreas was exiled from Greece in 1939 and went to the United States, where George Papandreou was born to an American mother, Margarita, in 1952.
Papandreou attended schools in IIlinois, Sweden and Canada and received degrees from Amherst College, the London School of Economics and Harvard University.
He returned to Greece with his family after the restoration of democracy in 1974 and soon became involved in his father's party, being elected to parliament in 1981.
The Socialist leader has served as education minister and was appointed foreign minister in 1999 when he helped ease long-standing tensions with neighboring Turkey.
He has also been credited with helping Greece earn the bid for the 2004 Olympics and efforts to resolve the division of the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Papandreou is married with two children, a son and daughter, and is fluent in Greek, English and Swedish.
