ATHENS, January 31. /TASS/. Greek parliamentarians were unable to elect the country's president during the second round of voting held at the plenary session, the Greek TV channel ERT News reported in a broadcast.
The first round of voting, held on January 25, was unsuccessful, as none of the four candidates managed to get the required 200 votes. The five-year term of incumbent Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expires on March 13. A new leader must be elected before then by members of parliament through open voting. The position of president in Greece is largely ceremonial.
Four candidates have been nominated for the post of the Greek head of state, but only one of them, former Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas, whose candidacy was put forward by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has a real chance to win in the five rounds of voting outlined in Greece's Constitution. In turn, the main opposition party PASOK - Movement for Change nominated former Foreign Minister Tasos Yiannitsis, while The Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance, abbreviated as SYRIZA, put forward former Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy Louka Katse. The right-wing Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement "Niki" (Victory) named Athens Bar Association member and writer Kostas Kyriacou as its candidate.
All 300 MPs took part in the second round. A total of 160 MPs voted for Tasoulas, 34 lawmakers opted for Yiannitsis, 40 backed Katse, and 14 supported Kyriacou, just as in the first round of voting. As many as 52 MPs abstained. Voting was held without public discussion of the nominees—parliamentarians could only vote for specific candidates or abstain, without the option to vote against any of them.
Currently, the ruling New Democracy (ND) center-right political party holds 156 seats in the 300-seat unicameral parliament. The parliament needs 200 votes to elect a head of state in the first and second rounds, 180 in the third round, and 151 in the fourth round. In the fifth round, a new president is chosen by a simple majority of all MPs present. The Greek leader may eventually be elected with a simple majority of parliamentary votes, but the government is seeking to maximize support for its candidate.
The third round of voting
The third round of voting is scheduled for February 6. Estimates indicate that Tasoulas may secure victory in the fourth round, scheduled for February 12—he may get the necessary 151 votes from New Democracy lawmakers, members of the far-right Spartiates (Spartans) party, and several independents, including former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
By nominating Tasoulas, the Greek prime minister broke with a long-standing tradition of proposing a presidential candidate from the opposition for guaranteed approval in parliament.
Mitsotakis also suggested that the presidential term in Greece be extended to six years without the possibility of re-election for a second term. According to the prime minister, that proposal will be submitted to parliament during the upcoming constitutional revision.