Greece has a new president. Here’s what it means in the battle for the Elgin Marbles
IndependentFEB 13
Greece: Parliament Elects Former Speaker Tassoulas as President
Above: Newly elected Greece's Pres. Constantine Tassoulas shakes hands with members of parliament before receiving the results of the fourth round of voting in the parliament building in Athens on Feb. 12, 2025. Image copyright: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/POOL/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Facts
Greek lawmakers elected former parliament speaker and culture minister Constantine Tassoulas, a center-right New Democracy member of parliament, as the country's new president on Wednesday.
He will be sworn in as president — a largely ceremonial role — on March 13 when the five-year term of Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the first woman to serve as Greece's head of state, expires.
This comes as Tassoulas won the fourth round of the voting procedure with 160 votes, surpassing the required majority of 151 votes.
The Spin
Narrative A
After decades of valuable public service experience in which he earned broad bipartisan respect, Tassoulas will bring his political experience and leadership capabilities to the presidency as Greece needs national unity and stability. Furthermore, this election represents an institutional victory for the nation's Constitution.
Narrative B
Members of parliament of the ruling New Democracy elected their own party's nominee Tassoulas, so this outcome is anything but a step toward national unity. It's outrageous that the former parliament speaker linked to the cover-up of the Tempi train disaster is now set to become Greece's head of state.