By Antonis Anzoletou

The parties are feverishly preparing for the battle for the election of the new president of the Republic, knowing that the prime minister will probably announce his choice from next Monday, the 13th of the month, until January 20 at the latest. It is a process that will not determine the future of the government nor cause political developments, but it will judge a lot about the cohesion of the majority, but also about the level of agreement that the opposition forces can achieve.

What do they know in the government camp? That the first and second votes will probably be a formality, as 200 votes are required. For the New Democracy, the “equation” is particularly difficult, since in order to gather 2/3 it will first be required that it does not lose any (it has 155 MPs), the votes of PASOK – in the event that a person with a centrist sign is nominated – and at least 14 of the 24 independent MPs. Things will be easier, but not simple, for the third vote where the Constitution provides for a majority of 3/5 of the Parliament, i.e. 180 deputies. In the fourth vote, it is only necessary to secure a simple majority (the blue majority is enough), while if a fifth is needed, the president of the Republic is elected with a relative majority.

Everyone admits that the selection of the country’s highest political figure should be the result of consensus. From the Parliament’s arithmetic, it follows that a majority of 180 can only be achieved if Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposes a candidate – preferably a politician – who will come from the center-left and ideally have references to PASOK. Such a thing will automatically mean aggravation of the spirits between the two in the next period. The reason is simple. From Harilaou Trikoupi they will be fiercely attacked by the other parties as colluding with the government and it is normal for them to move in “hard rock” rhythms against the blue faction.

Given the fragmentation of the political system and the many different and heterogeneous “groups” within the Parliament, a large majority is very difficult to achieve. The candidacy proposed by the prime minister should not cause rifts in the blue parliamentary group and at the same time attract other MPs. It is recalled that the voting in the Parliament should start no later than February 13, one month before the term of office of Katerina Sakellaropoulou ends. No one can rule out the prime minister proposing the renewal of the current president’s term. In such a case he will avoid persistent questions from the opposition about why he did not trust her since she was his choice in 2020 and the previous House had elected her with a wide majority of 261 votes.