The moment of truth for the Presidency of the Republic is approaching, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to meet with Katerina Sakellaropoulou next week, on January 15.

According to information from the Maximos Mansion, the monthly meeting between the two was to have taken place this week, but due to the funeral of Simitis at noon on Thursday, it has been postponed. According to the same sources, an understanding has already been reached with the Presidential Office, although the Presidency is yet to confirm the appointment. The President’s schedule, however, is free of external commitments next week.

In any case, competent sources tell protothema.gr that Mitsotakis has not yet finalized his decisions on the Presidency, taking into account both the need for broader consensus and the need for unity in the ranks of the 156 members of the New Democracy party. There is always a surprise candidate on the table, a person, that is, who has not been heard strongly in the past period, despite the relevant nomenclature.

The assessment of experienced political observers is that as soon as Mitsotakis and confide in Ms Sakellaropoulou about his decisions, the countdown to the announcements will begin with a statement by the same person in the form of a proclamation, as was the case in 2020. This could be done on the same day or on Thursday 16, as Mitsotakis leaves for Berlin on the 17th, from where he will return on Saturday 18 January. There is, of course, the possibility that Mitsotakis could make the announcements on the 20th, in any case the pending matter is heading for a response.

Parliamentary proceedings should begin no later than by Feb. 13, while Sakellaropoulou’s term formally ends on March 13. In the first round, the person nominated must garner 200 votes. In 2020, Sakellaropoulou got 261, though in the current backdrop of parliamentary fragmentation, with diametrically opposed approaches, that number seems like an extremely optimistic scenario.