Overview

Vassiliki Thanou-Christophilou (born 1950), often referred to simply as Vassiliki Thanou, is a Greek jurist and career judge who briefly led a caretaker government in 2015. Her appointment followed the resignation of the elected prime minister and the constitutional procedure for forming a non‑political interim cabinet. She is widely noted for being the first woman to serve as head of government in Greece. The Greek form of her name is given as Βασιλική Θάνου-Χριστοφίλου.

Judicial career and roles

Thanou spent most of her professional life in the Greek judicial system and rose to its senior ranks. She served as president of the Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos), Greece’s supreme civil and criminal court, a position that placed her among the highest judicial officials in the country. In that capacity she presided over administrative duties, major court sessions and collegial rulings, and represented the judiciary in formal state functions.

Caretaker premiership (August–September 2015)

When the sitting prime minister resigned in August 2015, the Greek constitution provides for the appointment of a neutral caretaker administration to run day‑to‑day business and to organize new elections. Thanou was invited to serve in that role and took office on 27 August 2015, remaining in place until the elected successor assumed office on 21 September 2015. Her brief government focused on maintaining continuity of public services and ensuring the integrity of the forthcoming parliamentary vote. This interim role is described in Greek practice as that of a caretaker prime minister.

Significance, duties and distinctions

Thanou’s appointment carried symbolic as well as practical significance. As the first woman to occupy Greece’s highest executive post—even for a short, provisional period—she marked a milestone in a political landscape historically dominated by men. Her selection also illustrated the constitutional role senior judges can play in times of political transition. Observers noted that caretaker administrations are customarily restricted from making sweeping policy changes, focusing instead on neutrality and administration until an elected government takes office.

Notable facts and timeline

  • Born: 1950.
  • Senior judge and president of the Court of Cassation prior to 2015.
  • Served as interim head of government from 27 August to 21 September 2015.
  • Recognized as the first female Greek prime minister, a historic milestone in the country’s modern politics.

Her short tenure is often discussed in the wider context of Greece’s political and economic crises of the 2010s, when constitutional mechanisms for neutral interim rule were repeatedly tested. Thanou returned to her judicial career after the handover to the newly elected government.