ATHENS, February 6. /TASS/. Greek parliamentarians failed to elect the country's president during the third round of voting held at the plenary session, the state-run Vouli TV channel reported in a broadcast.
Both the first and second rounds of voting, held on January 25 and 31 respectively, were unsuccessful, as none of the four candidates managed to get the required 200 votes. The five-year term of incumbent Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou ends 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 proposed former Foreign Minister Tasos Yiannitsis, while The Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance, abbreviated as SYRIZA, nominated former Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy Louka Katse. The right-wing Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement "Niki" (Victory) chose Athens Bar Association member and writer Kostas Kyriacou as its candidate.
All 300 MPs took part in the third 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 and second rounds 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 Greek presidential election on February 12
The fourth round of voting, as announced at the meeting, is set for February 12. Estimates suggest that Tasoulas could secure victory in this round, gaining 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, Prime Minister Mitsotakis departed from a long-standing tradition of proposing a presidential candidate from the opposition to ensure guaranteed approval in parliament.
Mitsotakis also proposed 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, the proposal will be submitted to parliament during the upcoming constitutional revision.