Greece's new president elected in 4th round of voting: Who is Konstantinos Tasoulas?

In a vote held in the Greek Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas was determined as the new president. Tasoulas, who will take office on March 13, won the election in the 4th round of voting after being nominated by the ruling New Democracy party.

In the voting, Tasoulas came in first with 160 votes, while Yannitsis received 34, Katseli 29, and Kyriakou 14 votes. The number of abstentions was 39. Surpassing the 151 votes required for the fourth round, Tasoulas was elected as the new president of Greece.

The voting held in parliament to determine the successor to President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whose term ends in March, lasted 4 rounds until the required majority was reached.

A total of 276 deputies out of the 300-seat parliament participated in the vote, where Konstantinos Tasoulas from the ruling New Democracy party, Tasos Yannitsis from the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Louka Katseli from the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA), and Kostas Kyriakou from the Victory Party competed as candidates.

Since no candidate could reach the required number of votes in the first three rounds of the election held in parliament, the election went to the fourth round. President-elect Tasoulas will take office by being sworn in at parliament on March 13, upon the expiration of Sakellaropoulou's term.

Tasoulas, who was elected speaker of parliament three times before becoming a presidential candidate, served as the speaker of parliament elected with the highest parliamentary support to date. Tasoulas resigned from his position as speaker of parliament after being nominated as a presidential candidate by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

HOW IS THE PRESIDENT ELECTED IN GREECE?

In Greece, the president is elected by parliament for a 5-year term. A person can serve as president for a maximum of two terms in the country. For a candidate to be elected president, they must reach 200 votes, which is at least two-thirds of the number of deputies. If this vote ratio is not reached, the election is repeated within 5 days.

If the required number of 200 is not reached in the second round for the presidential election, parliament goes to a third round of voting. The number of votes required in the third round drops to 180. If the required number is not reached in the third round, the candidate who receives 151 votes in the fourth round is elected president.

Tasoulas, who could not reach the required number of votes in the first 3 rounds, managed to receive 160 votes in the fourth round and became the country's new president. In the parliament with 300 deputies, 24 deputies did not participate in the presidential election.

WHO IS KONSTANTINOS TASOULAS?

Konstantinos Tasoulas is one of Greece's experienced politicians and has played an active role in the country's political scene for many years. Born in 1959, Tasoulas began his career as a political consultant and served in local government in the 1990s.

Serving as a member of the Greek Parliament since 2000, Tasoulas held various political and administrative positions at different times. He served as the Speaker of the Greek Parliament between 2019 and 2025, where he was influential in important decisions. The Greek politician played a critical role in the management of parliamentary processes.

Elected President of Greece in the 2025 elections, Tasoulas will take over this duty as of March 13, 2025. It is not yet known what path Tasoulas, who stands out with his political background and experience, will follow in Greece's domestic and foreign policy. However, as the candidate of the ruling party, the new President is expected to support policies aimed at limiting Turkey's influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, in parallel with Mitsotakis. Tasoulas has been a politician known for his conservative rhetoric so far.

News Source: AA