Athens (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Constantine Tassoulas, the Greek prime minister’s choice for president, failed to get the required majority to succeed in the election in the first round of voting by the Greek parliament.
Greek lawmakers were unable to elect a new president in a first contest of voting on January 25, 2025. A threshold of 200 votes in the 300-seat parliament was required for one of the candidates presented by political parties to take the post.
A second round of voting will take place on Jan. 31, but it is also expected to be inconclusive.
The required majority falls to 180 votes after two votes and then to 151 votes. A simple majority of those attending is required in the final round of voting.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece has nominated Konstantinos Tasoulas, the former Speaker of Parliament, as the presidential candidate for the ruling New Democracy party in the elections. Among the notable candidates is Konstantinos Tasoulas, former Speaker of Parliament, who is nominated by the ruling New Democracy party. Other known nominees were Louka Katseli from SYRIZA and Tassos Giannitsis from PASOK.
Why are analysts predicting difficulty for Tasoulas in the race
According to experts, Tasoula’s choice is widely regarded as a response to the pressure from rightist wings within New Democracy. Reflecting greater conservatism, his candidacy contrasts with past elections, which, indeed, tended to favour broader consensus candidates. Analysts predict that he might struggle to gain enough votes, at least up to some of the early rounds, because of his limited appeal to people beyond his party.
Who was the previous president?
The previous president of Greece was Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who assumed office on 13 March 2020. Katerina Sakellaropoulou was the first woman to become president of Greece. She was elected by the Hellenic Parliament on 22 January 2020. She received 261 votes from a possible 300, a clear indication that she had achieved significant bipartisan support. Before becoming president, Sakellaropoulou was the head of the Council of State of Greece, its highest administrative court. She is well-known for her extensive experience in environmental and constitutional law, besides being quite vocal about human rights.
