Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has nominated former conservative ND minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos for the post of president of the republic, making the announcement to his MPs on Tuesday.
At the end of his address, where he commented on the current developments with regard to negotiations between Greece and its EU partners, Tsipras said the ruling leftist party will nominate Pavlopoulos. Justifying his decision, the PM underlined that the Left was never arrogant in crucial times and never claimed high distinctions for itself, noting that the new President has to have democratic sensitivity, display patriotic responsibility and enjoy the parliament’s recognition.
If the Pavlopoulos accepts the nomination he will be a shoo-in for the utterly ceremonial post of president.
The roll call vote for the election of the new president will be held on Wednesday at 7.30 p.m. According to the Greek Constitution, the candidate must gained 3/5 of the total number of deputies to be elected as the new President of the Republic in the first vote. However, if unsuccessful, he will need 150+1 MPs in a second vote. The lower figure did not apply to late December 2014’s vote for a new president, given that the constitution envisions a simple majority in case snap elections are held because a president was not elected by the immediately preceding legistlature.
Curriculum Vitae
Born in Kalamata, in the extreme southern Peloponnese province in 1950, Pavlopoulos graduated from high school in his home town and moved to Athens to attend law school in 1968.
He is married to Vlassia Pavlopoulou-Peltsemi and they have three children: Vassilis, an attorney-at-law, Maria, a French language and literature graduate and Zoe, a nursery school teacher.
In 1974 he was secretary to the first President of the republic, Michail Stasinopoulos. Pavlopoulos worked with the latter when he was arrested by a military junta in Greece, who placed Stasinopoulos was under house arrest.
Pavlopoulos studied law at the Université de Paris II on a scholarship by the French Government, and was awarded his postgraduate studies Diplome d’ etudes approfondies(DEA) in 1975 as well as a doctorate in Public Law in 1977 with honourable mention.
In 1978-79 he served his military consciption obligation.
He then entered theacademia as a lecturer (1981), assistant professor (1983), associate professor (1986) and professor of Public Law (1989) at the Athens University Law School.
In 1986 he was elected visiting professor at Université de Paris II.
He has published several books, papers and articles, primarily in the legal field.
In the general elections of 1996 he was elected on the state deputyies list with the New Democracy Party while in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2012 he was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the first Athens constituency.
He has been Deputy Minister of the Presidency and Spokesman for the Zolotas Coalition Government (1989-1990), Legal Advisor to the President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Karamanlis (1990-1995), Spokesman for the New Democracy Party (1995-1997), Parliamentary Spokesman for the New Democracy Party (2000-2004), Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation (2004-2007) and Minister of Interior (2007-2009).
