Greece with a new president

Greek lawmakers elected 65-year-old Constantine Tassoulas, a trusted figure in the conservative prime minister's political circle, as the country's president, a move that analysts interpret as a step by Kyriakos Mitsotakis to strengthen his grip on power.

To be elected president, it took four rounds of voting, as in the first two rounds he failed to secure 200 votes and in the third 180, so he ultimately received only 160 votes from the deputies of the New Democracy party.

Former parliament speaker Tassoulas, who replaces outgoing president Katerina Sakellaropoulou for a five-year term, is the first president to be elected exclusively with the votes of the ruling party that nominated him.

"I sincerely thank you for officially announcing my election, a great honor, but at the same time an extraordinary responsibility," said Constantine Tassoulas, the newly elected president.

Tassoulas, who has led parliament since Mitsotakis' victory in 2019, is known for his ties to the nationalist wing of the ruling conservatives.

"In an unstable international environment, the country's political life is evolving with certainty and responsibility, following a stable path towards democracy, economic development and social progress, to which the new president will also contribute," said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.

Tassoulas is a veteran politician, lawyer and father of two. He was first elected in 2000 and has served in various positions, including culture minister, deputy defense minister and party secretary-general in parliament.

His candidacy has faced criticism from opposition parties. The socialists of PASOK accuse Tassoulas of not taking political responsibility for Greece's worst railway tragedy, the accident between two trains in the Tempi valley that killed 57 people two years ago.

Tassoulas will be sworn in as president of Greece on March 13. /Telegraph/