Synopsis
On February 1, the Greek parliament failed to elect a new President in the second round of voting. The next round is scheduled for February 6, where the threshold will be lowered to 180 votes. If no candidate secures enough support, a simple majority will be required in subsequent rounds.Key Takeaways
- Greek parliament failed to elect President in second round.
- Constantine Tassoulas received 160 votes, same as first round.
- Third round scheduled for February 6 with a threshold of 180 votes.
- Outgoing President's term ends in March.
- President serves a five-year term with one re-election possibility.
Athens, Feb 1 (NationPress) The Greek parliament was unable to elect the nation's next President during the second voting round.
To assume the role, a candidate needed to secure a majority of 200 votes from the 300-seat parliament. All members participated in the voting on Friday, following an inconclusive attempt on January 25.
Constantine Tassoulas, the former parliament speaker and candidate from the ruling New Democracy party, again garnered 160 votes, mirroring his first-round outcome. The other three candidates each received fewer than 50 votes as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The parliament speaker announced that a third round will take place on February 6, with the vote threshold adjusted to 180 votes according to the Greek constitution.
If no candidate meets the required votes in this third round, a simple majority of 151 votes will be necessary in the fourth round. Given the current voting patterns, political analysts anticipate that Tassoulas may win in this upcoming round.
Should no candidate achieve the requisite votes in the fourth round, the fifth and final voting round will elect the president through a relative majority.
The term of the outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who previously led Greece's highest administrative court, concludes in March.
The Greek Constitution stipulates that a minimum of 200 votes from the total 300 members is needed in both the first and second rounds for a presidential election. In the third and fourth rounds, the threshold drops to 180 votes, while a simple majority of 151 votes suffices in the fifth and final round.
As per the Greek constitution, the President is elected for a five-year term and can serve a maximum of one additional term.
