He previously served as Minister for Health and Social Solidarity from 2004 to 2006.

In the Greek local elections of 2010 he lost the position of mayor after being defeated by Giorgos Kaminis.

Kaklamanis studied medicine at the Medical School of the University of Athens.

He served as secretary-general to the Panhellenic Medical Association from 1984 to 1989 and was elected on the ND ticket.

Some of his rivals or haters nicknamed him "Omer Prioni" (a pun of Omer Vrioni and the word prioni meaning "saw" in Greek) or "Nikitaras the Wood-eater" (a pun of the Greek 1821 Revolution hero Nikitaras the "Turk-eater") on account of him having cut a lot of trees.