Konstantinos Tasoulas elected new president of Greece

Konstantinos Tasoulas, a former House speaker and New Democracy MP, was elected Greece’s new president on Wednesday.

Tasoulas, 66, the candidate of the ruling conservative party, secured 160 votes in the 300-seat Parliament. A total of 276 lawmakers participated in the vote, while 24 were absent, including all 11 New Left MPs.

In the fourth and final round of voting, the threshold for election was a simple majority of 151 votes. With New Democracy holding 156 seats, Tasoulas’ victory was all but guaranteed.

Tasos Giannitsis, supported by the main opposition party PASOK, received 34 votes, while Louka Katseli, the candidate backed by leftist SYRIZA and New Left, garnered 29 votes. Kostas Kyriakou, the far-right Niki party’s candidate, received 14 votes.

Tasoulas will succeed Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whose term expires on March 13. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place on the same day.

Sakellaropoulou quickly reached out to Tasoulas to congratulate him on his election, offering her best wishes for his success in fulfilling his duties.

In a statement, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated Tasoulas on his election, expressing confidence that “he will rise to the high role of symbol of our national unity, as well as guarantor of democratic stability and constitutional continuity.”

“[Tasoulas] possesses both the prestige and political experience necessary. These qualities have already been demonstrated in the public offices he has served with consistency for decades, but most notably from his position as speaker of the House, a role in which he was elected with broad cross-party support,” Mitsotakis continued, while criticizing “misguided” attempts to involve Tasoulas in “petty partisan competition.”

Critics argue that during Tasoulas’ tenure as parliamentary speaker, lawmakers failed to investigate any political responsibility related to the February 2023 Tempe railway disaster. Two years later, a judicial probe is still ongoing. Under Greek law, Parliament is the only body authorized to investigate politicians.

Source: pagenews.gr