Greek parliament prepares for fourth round of presidential elections
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While none of the candidates have secured a supermajority, conservative candidate Konstantinos Tasoulas is expected to win in the fourth round.
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Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, right, speaks during a parliament session in Athens, Greece, on Friday, August 26, 2022. (AP)
The Greek Parliament will gather for a fourth round of presidential elections on Wednesday, as the term of the current president Katerina Sakellaropoulou expires on March 13th and a new president must be elected before that date.
All the candidates have secured the same amount of votes throughout the three previous rounds, with none of them securing the required supermajority of 180 votes in the third round. In the fourth round, a simple majority of 151 votes is required for a candidate to win.
The ruling party's nominee, Konstantinos Tasoulas gained 160 votes in the parliament in the previous round, making him the most likely to win out of all the candidates, however, if the fourth round fails to elect a president, a fifth attempt will be made in five days which requires a relative majority, meaning the candidate with the most votes wins.
Who is expected to win?
Current President Katerina Sakellaropoulou won the 2020 elections with ease, as she secured 261 votes, more than enough to have a supermajority. However, Konstantinos Tasoulas is expected to win in 2025.
Current President Sakellarpoulou's win was met with a positive reception, being the first woman president of Greece, however, she was heavily criticized for her inaction regarding violations of the rule of law, and her tenure was met with some of the lowest levels of support in presidential history.
The far-right has been on the rise in Greece, with three parties gaining 34 out of 300 total seats in the parliament following its dissolution in May of 2023 after the prime minister at the time asked the president to dissolve parliament due to the expiration of the government's four-year mandate.
Sakellarpoulou issued a decree saying that the last elections made it clear that forming a new government would be impossible due to the lack of confidence.
