World
January 15, 2025 12:56
athens, greece - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has nominated Konstantinos Tasoulas as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election in Greece.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has officially nominated Konstantinos Tasoulas, the current Speaker of the Parliament, as the candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The election, scheduled for January 25, comes as the term of current President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is set to end in March.
In a special address on Greek State Television ERT, Mitsotakis emphasized the symbolic importance of the presidency in Greece, stating his belief that the president should serve only one term of six years to avoid divisive debates and opposition.
Mitsotakis announced that the New Democracy Party would present proposals for changing the presidential term limits through constitutional amendments in Parliament. He praised Tasoulas' unifying spirit, highlighting his three terms as Speaker of the Parliament and his broad parliamentary support.
In response to Mitsotakis' decision, the opposition party spokesperson Kostas Gikas of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) stated that the party would not support Tasoulas and would nominate a different candidate, breaking the tradition of cross-party presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, Konstantinos Tasoulas, a Law School graduate, has served as a lawyer, mayor, Deputy Minister of Defense, Minister of Culture and Sports, and Member of Parliament. He has been the Speaker of the Parliament since 2019.
In Greece, the president is elected by the Parliament at least one month before the end of the incumbent president's term, serving a five-year term. A candidate must receive at least two-thirds of the parliamentary votes to be elected. If no candidate reaches this threshold, elections are repeated every five days until a president is elected with a three-fifths majority or, if needed, a simple majority of the total number of MPs.