Alexandros Svolos

Alexandros Svolos (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Σβώλος; 1892, Kruševo, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 22 February 1956, Athens, Greece) was a prominent Greek legal expert, who also served as president of the Political Committee of National Liberation, a Resistance-based government during the Axis occupation of Greece.

In this role, Svolos participated in the Lebanon conference in May 1944, when the establishment of a government of national unity under George Papandreou was decided.

In the Papandreou government he held the portfolio of the Finance Ministry, where his measures to restore the Greek economy made him unpopular.

Alexandros Svolos was among the most prominent experts on constitutional law in Greece, and held strong democratic and socialist views, which put him often at odds with the Greek establishment of the time.

In 1929, in his speech on his acceptance of the teaching chair at the university, he emphasized the necessity of protection of minorities from the powerful executive authority.

This speech was given at a time when even formerly liberal politicians, like Eleftherios Venizelos, were increasingly adopting measures to control the people, and especially to curb the growing influence of the Communist Party of Greece.