Greek PM breaks tradition by nominating parliament speaker for presidency

In a prerecorded address on January 15, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced his nomination of Konstantinos Tasoulas, the current Speaker of Parliament, as the candidate for Greek president. 

Mitsotakis praised Tasoulas for his unifying leadership, highlighting his consistent success in securing broad parliamentary support, having been elected speaker three times with large majorities since the post-dictatorship era: 283, 270, and 249 votes.

Mitsotakis explained his decision to nominate someone from the governing majority, emphasizing that public trust should be the key criterion for the presidency, Caliber.Az reports, citing Greek media.

He stated, “Neither the different backgrounds of a president and a prime minister guarantee institutional balance, nor does their political alignment inherently create risks for the state.”

The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou for her efforts during her term, acknowledging her role in humanizing the presidency. However, he noted that Greece now requires a president with “a long-standing public service record and clear political attributes.”

In his address, Mitsotakis proposed a constitutional amendment to limit the president's term to a single six-year period, which he intends to introduce during the next constitutional revision.

The Greek Parliament is set to vote on the new president within ten days.

As for the position of Parliament Speaker, three New Democracy MPs — Nikitas Kaklamanis, Kostas Tsiaras, and Theodoros Roussopoulos — are reportedly under consideration for Tasoulas' successor. Meanwhile, George Amyras, the first runner-up from the Ioannina electoral district, is expected to take over Tasoulas’ seat in the New Democracy parliamentary group.

By Tamilla Hasanova