Tassoulas elected as president of Greece

ATHENS — Constantine Tassoulas, former speaker of the Greek Parliament, was elected as the country's new president on Wednesday.

Tassoulas, the nominee of the ruling conservative New Democracy party, secured 160 votes in the fourth round of voting, the same as in the previous rounds. The other three candidates each received fewer than 50 votes.

A total of 276 members of parliament took part in Wednesday's vote. Under the Greek Constitution, a candidate needs at least 151 votes in the 300-member assembly to win the presidency in the fourth round, a threshold lowered from 180 votes in the third round and 200 votes in the first two rounds held over the past three weeks.

Tassoulas, 65, replaces outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a former senior judge, for a five-year term.

Sakellaropoulou, elected in 2020, was Greece's first woman president.

In Greece, the post of the head of state is largely ceremonial, with candidates nominated by the prime minister.

Tassoulas has been selected as Speaker of the Greek Parliament three times by a large majority since 2019. The lawyer and father of two is a political veteran. First elected as a lawmaker in 2000, he has served as culture minister, deputy defense minister and party general secretary in parliament.

On Wednesday, Tassoulas called his election as president a "paramount honor" and a "major responsibility".

In a statement, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Tassoulas would act as a "symbol of national unity" and "a guarantor" of Greece's democratic and constitutional stability.

When serving as culture minister a decade ago, Tassoulas helped reinvigorate Greece's campaign to reclaim the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.

The sculptures were removed from the Acropolis in Athens by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and have since been kept in the British Museum. The Greek government contends that their removal was illegal and has long sought their return, seeking to reunite them with other Parthenon artifacts displayed in a museum in the Greek capital.

Greek officials believe the return of the sculptures is more likely now due to the UK Labour government's perceived openness to loan agreements. Ongoing discussions on a potential arrangement would likely include an offer to facilitate rotating exhibitions of ancient Greek artifacts at the British Museum.

Xinhua - Agencies