With the term of the current President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, coming to an end on 13^th March, the process of finding the right candidate for the next 5-year term has begun. In principle any party in Parliament can propose a candidate; a series of votes is then taken in Parliament with the aim of whittling down the field until a winner is found. Each vote takes place 6 days after the previous one, and for the first two votes a two-thirds majority is required to declare a winner, on the third vote a three-fifths majority, on the fourth an absolute majority (i.e. 151 votes) and on the fifth a simple majority of the votes cast. The votes in the current election are scheduled for the 25th and 31st of January, and the 6th, 12th and 18th of February.

It is an established tradition in Parliament (though not one which has any legal basis) that the winning candidate should be either from a different party from that in power, or from a non-political background. Katerina Sakellaropoulou is a Greek judge who prior to her appointment was the president of the Council of State, the highest administrative court of Greece. Known for her progressive views, she had been appointed to the latter post by the SYRIZA government of Alexis Tsipras, and her proposal as President of the Republic in 2020 by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was by then Prime Minister, fitted in with this tradition.

Prior to her election the Constitution had stipulated that in the event of the first three rounds of voting proving indecisive, a snap election of Parliament would have to be called, following which a further three rounds of voting would be held, the last one providing for a simple majority. It was under this system that the election of Katerina Sakellaropoulou’s predecessor, Prokopis Pavlopoulos had taken place in 2015. The first three votes proving indecisive, a snap election was held, which resulted in SYRIZA, led by Alexis Tsipras, forming a coalition government in January 2015.

However, following Nea Dimokratia’s win in the national elections of July 2019, a constitutional amendment passed in November of the same year abolished the requirement for a snap election, and the Presidential election of January 2020 was the first held under the new system. In the event only one round was needed. No-one stood against Katerina Sakellaropoulou and she won with a majority of 261 votes, the first woman President in Greece’s history.

The Prime Minister’s choice
In a statement to the media on Wednesday 15th January, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that, for reasons which he went on to explain, he was not proposing the sitting President for a second term (the maximum allowed by the Constitution), but instead putting forward the Speaker of Parliament Konstantinos (Kostas) Tasoulas, a widely respected figure who is nevertheless a member of Nea Dimokratia, thus breaking with the established tradition.

The decision has brought criticism from the main opposition parties, who have proceeded to nominate other candidates. SYRIZA has nominated economist and former PASOK minister Louka Katseli, of whom the party’s leader Sokratis Famellos said that she “embodies democratic ethos and values, with international experience, and her election could strengthen our institutions, democracy and serve the citizens”. PASOK’s leader Nikos Androulakis has nominated 80-year-old Tassos Giannitsis, an economist, businessman and minister in former PASOK governments. Since the government has a solid majority, it seems unlikely that either of these candidates will prevail over Kostas Tasoulas, and the current thinking in the media is that his appointment will be achieved at the latest by the absolute majority vote to be held on 12^th February.

Statement of the Prime Minister on the Presidency
“Today I am sharing with you my thoughts on the highest office of state. And at the same time I am announcing Nea Dimokratia’s proposal for the person who will be called upon to serve in it. For the citizens should be informed, should be able to judge arguments and thus become participants in all the developments of public life.

“The President of the Republic must have high prestige, wider acceptance, and of course experience, knowledge and proven respect for institutions. Wider acceptance, however, does not necessarily mean proposing someone outside the prevailing government majority. Rather, it implies a person who will inspire confidence in the community, who will synthesise and unite.

“Because although the head of state may have limited executive powers, they nevertheless constitute the symbol of the nation. Consequently, in relation to their high mission, their political standpoint is of lesser importance. On the other hand, neither do differing backgrounds for the President and the Prime Minister guarantee political stability, nor does their political coincidence by definition create institutional risk. The Constitution provides us with all the guarantees, while History shows that in the end it is individuals who give value to institutions

“So given the unifying mission of the President of the Republic, I believe that they should be voted in for a single term of 6 years. In this way the discussion on the renewal of their term of office will not regularly open the door to disagreements. And the institution will remain removed from party political concerns. This is a view which we will introduce in Parliament during the forthcoming revision of the Constitution.

“With a due sense of responsibility, I announce that Nea Dimokratia’s proposal for the next President of the Republic will be Konstantinos Tasoulas, the current Speaker of the Parliament and third in the hierarchy of constitutional figures in the country. His wide acceptance derives from the fact that he was three times elected Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, with the highest majority in the post-Junta era: with 283, 270 and 249 votes. While his unifying spirit and his synthetical virtues have, I believe been demonstrated, by general agreement, in the impeccable way in which he has so far directed the work of Parliament in a very difficult party political landscape.

“Kostas Tasoulas has also served his country as mayor, as MP for 25 years and as minister. He therefore knows well the weight of the responsibility he is being called upon to assume. At the same time, his origins in Epirus and his student years at the Tosizza Foundation armed him with the weapons of self-motivation. They also fired his especial interest in the problems facing Greece’s regions, in every citizen, in every corner of the nation.

“He is also possessed of a rich culture and a deep knowledge of Greek history, true patriotism and an impeccable character, with social sensitivity and a genuine simplicity and modesty. It is not by chance that through his many years in the front line he has never shown interest in fashioning a media profile for himself. All these things constitute guarantees for an excellent term of office.

“For her part, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whom I have already informed of my choice, honoured her assignment with consistency and a sense of responsibility. Always maintaining a high level of national dignity, she introduced to the post a new, humanitarian example of the Presidency. Giving precedence to culture and science, but also developing an unaffected communication with the citizens.

“I judged, however, that in the coming period, and in a troubled international environment, our country needs a President of the Republic with a long career in the public eye and a clear political character. In any case, Katerina Sakellaropoulou leaves a positive impression in the country’s history. As Prime Minister and as a simple citizen I respect her and want to give her my warmest thanks.

“I invite all the Parliamentary parties to assess the candidacy of Kostas Tasoulas in one light only, that of standing and experience, of knowledge but also of character, enabling his appointment as first citizen. And if the impartial response to these criteria is affirmative I ask them to support him, It will be a choice of unity and good prospects for Greece.”
(https://www.primeminister.gr/2025/01/15/35663)

Statement of the President
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, the outgoing President issued a brief video statement which can been seen on the presidency website:

“Five years ago the Hellenic Parliament elected me to the office of President of the Hellenic Republic, following the proposal of the Prime Minister and leader of Nea Dimokratia Kyriakos Mitsotakis. I thank them for the honour and their confidence.

“During my term of office, I have tried to fulfil my duties with the greatest possible responsibility towards the Greek people and my conscience, respecting the duties and the institutional role which the Constitution recognises for the President of the Republic.

“I wish every success to the President who will be elected by the Hellenic Parliament for the next 5-year term.”
(https://www.presidency.gr/dilosi-tis-proedroy-tis-dimokratias-katerinas-sakellaropoyloy-9/)