Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has nominated Parliament Speaker Constantine Tassoulas for the post of the country’s president on Wednesday.
The term of incumbent President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expires in March and a parliamentary vote for the post is expected on 25 January.
The candidate needs the support of at least 151 MPs in the 300-seat parliament to be elected.
Tassoulas is a member of the New Democracy party, in power since 2019. Mitsotakis said in a televised address that he chose Tassoulas, 66, who has been a lawyer and MP since 2000 and served as culture minister, because of his political experience, broad support and “unifying spirit.”
His nomination is seen by political analysts as a risk-free, conservative move by the government, which wants to secure the support of all New Democracy factions and maintain its majority.
Opposition parties may not support his candidacy. The left-wing Syriza party has nominated Louka Katseli, a former economy minister who served as a director at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for the post.
