Athens, Jan 15 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday that Parliament Speaker Constantine Tassoulas will be his ruling party's nominee for the country's next president.
"In a turbulent international environment our country needs a President with political experience," he said in a televised address.
Tassoulas, a seasoned politician from the ruling New Democracy (ND) party, served as minister of Culture and Sports in 2014 and has been elected as speaker of the Greek parliament three times with large majority since 2019.
Although the post is largely ceremonial, the persons chosen reflect the nation's unity, Mitsotakis added.
The term of outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a former head of Greece's highest administrative court, expires in March.
The vote in parliament will be held on January 25, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the Greek Constitution, a minimum of 200 votes out of the total 300 members of the assembly are required in the first round to elect a president, as well as in the second round. In the third and fourth the threshold is 180 votes, while in the fifth and final round a simple majority of 151 votes.
According to the Greek Constitution, the country's president is elected for a five-year term and can be re-elected only once.
During his televised address on Wednesday, Mitsotakis said that ND will propose a Constitution amendment to extend the President's term to six years without possibility for reelection.
--IANS
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