Greece Elects New President on Fourth Attempt

In the fourth and final round of voting, the Greek parliament elected a new president. It will be the former speaker of parliament and prime ministerial candidate Konstantinos Tasoulas, Ekathimerini reports.  

Tasoulas received 160 votes in the 300-seat parliament. A total of 276 MPs took part in the vote. To win the last round, he needed a simple majority of 151 votes.  

As the ruling New Democracy party has 156 seats in parliament, the outcome was almost predictable.  

The decision to nominate Tasoulas sparked outrage among protesters who last month demanded justice in the 2023 train crash.  

They claim that during his tenure as speaker, parliament failed to hold those responsible for the worst railway tragedy in Greek history politically accountable.  

The post of president of the country is largely ceremonial and involves limited political powers.  

The previous head of state was Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who became the first female president of Greece. Her term of office ends on 13 March, and Konstantinos Tasoulas is expected to be sworn in on the same day.