Greece president vote inconclusive after second round

The Greek parliament has failed to elect a new president in the second of four rounds of voting.

The conservative government’s nominee, Konstantinos Tasoulas, received 160 votes, falling 40 short of the 200 needed for an outright win.

Tasoulas received the same number votes in the first round on January 25.

Louka Katseli, backed by leftist SYRIZA and the New Left Party, secured 40 votes, while Tasos Giannitsis, supported by the main PASOK opposition, garnered 34 votes. Kostas Kyriakou, the far-right Niki party’s candidate, received 14 votes.

A third round of voting, where the winner will require 180 votes to prevail, is scheduled for Thursday, February 6.

If no candidate reaches the threshold, the requirement will drop to 151 votes in the fourth and final round, five days later.

Tasoulas, a former House speaker and New Democracy MP, is expected to secure the presidency in the final round, given New Democracy’s majority of 156 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

Source: pagenews.gr