By Antonis Anzoletou

It takes place today the first vote for the election of the president of the Republic and the arithmetic that exists shows that it will be one “barren” process. 200 MPs who must support him Costa Tasoulaaccording to the Constitution, do not exist and everything shows that the chosen one of the majority will be elected to the highest state office with the fourth vote on February 12.

On 11 electoral procedures that have taken place in the Parliament – with secret voting until 1985 and openly from 1990 onwards – seven times the first citizen of the country has emerged with a majority of more than 2/3. Three times with more than 180 votes (third vote) and once with 153, while with the old Constitution that was in force before 2020 it has been necessary to dissolve the Parliament and hold elections.

THE Michael Stasinopoulos served the highest state office for just six months (December 18, 1974 – June 20, 1975). He was an official and was chosen after the establishment, with the referendum of 1974, of the de-reigned Republic. He had received 206 votes. THE Constantinos Tsatsos exercised the duties of the president of the Republic for the five years 1975 – 1980. With a long political journey, with terms in important portfolios, deputy of the ERE and the New Democracy in the vote held in June 1975, he received 210 votes out of a total of 295 voters. THE Konstantinos Karamanlis he had decided well before the completion of the five-year term to jump to the presidency of the Republic and Konstantinos Tsatsos knew this. There was just one problem. The New Republic in 1980 was strong but not powerful as it was five years before, so that it had 200 deputies alone. It didn’t even exceed 180. In the first vote, the historical leader of the right faction collected 179 votes. Finally 183 “yes” were secured in the third and final vote which took place on 5 May. He received additional votes from EDIK, KODISO and National Party MPs.

In March 1985, the President of the Parliament temporarily assumed the duties of the President of the Republic Ioannis Alevras. Konstantinos Karamanlis had resigned, as the then prime minister, Andreas Papandreou, had decided not to renew his term. The areopagite Christos Sargetakis he was supported by PASOK and the KKE and was elected president of the Republic with 180 votes during the third process that took place in the Plenary.

In 1990, Konstantinos Karamanlis came back to the fore with Konstantinos Mitsotakis proposing him for the presidency of the Republic. PASOK initially insisted on Christos Sargetakis and New Democracy declared itself present in the three votes held in February and March to trigger early elections. Konstantinos Karamanlis accepted to be nominated after the elections and received 153 votes in the fifth ballot on May 4. New Democracy was supported by Theodoros Katsikis and the two Muslim MPs Sadik Ahmet and Ahmet Faikoglou. PASOK supported Ioannis Alevras after the first vote.

In 1995, the political system went into the period of consensus for the election of the country’s first citizen. With the proposal of Political Spring and the support of Charilaou Trikoupi, the Konstantinos Stephanopoulos elected on March 8, 1995, on the third ballot, with 181 votes. Just before the parliamentary elections of 2000 there was no reason to create political unrest. Kostas Simitis re-nominated Konstantinos Stephanopoulos who, now having ultra-party characteristics, was supported by Kostas Karamanlis and the New Democracy from which he came. He received 269 votes. It was the first time that the two poles of power agreed in the person of the president of the Republic.

THE Karolos Papoulias he was the next “tenant” of Herodos Atticus and broke the record of Konstantinos Stephanopoulos by receiving 279 votes from the Plenary on February 8. Only KKE and Coalition voted present. It was proposed by Kostas Karamanlis who acted like Kostas Simitis with the new leader of PASOK, George Papandreou, to agree knowing of course that the early elections would not bear fruit for PASOK. Karolos Papoulias became the third person to complete the cycle of terms in the presidency, as allowed by the Constitution. On February 3, 2010, with the support of PASOK which was now in government, New Democracy and LAOS, he remained in Herodos Attikou with 266 MPs voting in his favor.

Stavros Dimas in December 2014 did not collect the required number of votes in the three votes and the country was led to early elections. By the decision of Alexis Tsipras after assuming power in January 2015, the SYRIZA – ANEL government did not choose a Leftist candidate, despite the suggestions it had received. Suggest him Prokopi Pavlopoulos who was elected president of the Republic with 233 votes that he also received from New Democracy. Potami and PASOK with 30 votes supported the constitutionalist Nikos Alivizato. Continuing on the line of consent on January 15, 2020, Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposed for the position of the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulouuntil then president of the Council of State. In the vote, on January 22, she was the only candidate and the first woman to serve in the institution with 261 votes.

PRESIDENTS OF THE REPUBLIC

Votes Year
Karolos Papoulias 279 2005
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos 269 2000
Karolos Papoulias 266 2010
Katerina Sakellaropoulou 261 2020
Prokopios Pavlopoulos 233 2015
Konstantinos Tsatsos 210 1975
Michael Stassinopoulos 206 1974
Konstantinos Karamanlis 183 1980
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos 181 1995
Christos Sargetakis 180 1985
Konstantinos Karamanlis 153 1990