No Clear Conclusion in First Round of Presidential Election in Greek Parliament

The first round of voting in the Greek Parliament for the election of the President of the Republic concluded without a definitive outcome. None of the four candidates managed to secure the required 200 votes, and the process is set to continue in the coming days.

The session opened with a minute of silence to honor Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, who passed away earlier in the day after a prolonged hospitalization.

Voting Breakdown and Attendance

Out of 300 Members of Parliament (MPs), 297 participated in the vote, with three absent. Some MPs submitted their votes by postal ballot. The distribution of votes among the four candidates was as follows:

• Kostas Tasoulas: Supported by New Democracy (ND) MPs and independent MPs Antonis Samaras, Marios Salmas, Pavlos Sarakis, and Charalambos Katsivardas, Tasoulas received 160 votes.
• Louka Katseli: Backed by SYRIZA, New Left MPs, and independents Athina Linou and Areti Papaioannou, Katseli garnered 40 votes.
• Tasos Giannitsis: Supported by PASOK and independents Baran Burhan, Rania Thraskia, and Petros Pappas, Giannitsis received 34 votes.
• George Kyriakou: Backed by NIKI MPs and independent Spartans MPs Giannis Dimitrokallis, Kostas Floros, Giorgos Manousos, and Dionysis Valtogiannis, Kyriakou secured 14 votes.

Additionally, 49 MPs from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Hellenic Solution, Course for Freedom, and other independents voted “present,” effectively abstaining.

Next Steps in the Voting Process

The second round of voting is scheduled for Friday, January 31, at 10 a.m. However, it is widely anticipated that this round will also fail to produce a conclusive result, as the required majority remains high.

According to parliamentary procedures, the third round of voting will require 180 votes, and the fourth round, scheduled for February 12, will lower the threshold to an absolute majority of 151 votes. Based on current projections, Kostas Tasoulas is expected to be elected in the fourth round.