Parliament Seeks Increased Majority of 200 Deputies in Second Presidential Vote

The Plenum of Parliament is once again seeking an increased majority of 200 deputies in today’s second round of nominal voting for the election of the President of the Republic.

In the first round, held last Saturday, Constantinos Tasoulas, the New Democracy nominee and former Speaker of Parliament, secured the most votes, receiving 160. He was followed by:

• Louka Katseli (SYRIZA nominee) – 40 votes
• Tassos Giannitsis (PASOK nominee) – 34 votes
• Kostas Kyriakou (“Victory” party nominee) – 14 votes

Additionally, 49 MPs voted “present,” while three were absent.

If the required 200 votes are not secured in today’s second round, a third vote will take place in five days, where a reduced threshold of 180 votes (three-fifths majority) will be required.

Should the third vote also fail to produce a winner, a fourth round will be held after another five days, in which a simple absolute majority (151 votes) will be sufficient.

If even this threshold is not met, a final round will take place after another five days, where the President of the Republic will be elected by a relative majority.