Greece will hold a third round of presidential elections, as no candidate was able to garner enough votes in the second round of voting on Friday.
The Greek parliament in the second round of voting again failed to determine who will succeed President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whose term expires in March.
The vote included ruling New Democracy party candidate Konstantinos Tasoulas, main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) candidate Tasos Giannitsis, Radical Left Alliance (SYRIZA) candidate Louka Katseli and Victory Party candidate Kostas Kyriacou.
A total of 297 MPs voted in the 300-seat parliament. Tasoulas came first with 160 votes, Katseli with 40, Giannitsis with 34 and Kyriacou with 14. Since none of the candidates received the 200 votes needed to be elected president in the second round, a third round of voting will take place. The third round of voting is scheduled for next Thursday.
In Greece, the president is elected by the parliament for a 5th term no later than one month before the end of the incumbent president’s term. One person can serve a maximum of two terms as president.
According to the Greek Constitution, the head of state is elected by the Greek parliament for a five-year term in a special session at least one month before the end of the incumbent president’s term. The first and second rounds require an overwhelming majority of 200 out of 300 votes, while in the third round a candidate only needs 180 votes.
If the president is not elected in the third round, the candidate who receives the support of an absolute majority of the total number of deputies in the fourth round of voting becomes president.
