Greece presidential election: Signs of a conservative swing?

The archetypal circular of the presidential predetermination in Greece is acceptable for January 25, with much rounds to follow. But the victor already seems clear: Konstantinos Tasoulas, a subordinate of the blimpish New Democracy enactment who was parliament speaker up until a fewer days ago.

Tasoulas is expected to request 4 rounds to summation capable votes from lawmakers to triumph the election. That's due to the fact that the right-wing blimpish campaigner lacks the bipartisan luster to unafraid the necessary two-thirds bulk of parliament, oregon 200 of 300 disposable votes, to triumph successful an earlier round.

In 2020, Greek's existent president, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, breezed done the predetermination with 261 votes. By contrast, Tasoulas astir apt won't adjacent beryllium capable to stitchery the 180 votes required successful the 3rd statesmanlike predetermination circular — a proviso that's been successful spot since the Greek junta dictatorship ended successful 1974. In the 4th predetermination round, thanks to a law amendment successful 2019, a ruling bulk of 151 parliamentarians would suffice.

Konstantinos Tasoulas is not fashionable capable to unafraid capable votes successful the archetypal predetermination rounds, but is inactive projected to winImage: Takis Sagias/ANE Edition/IMAGO

That would marque Tasoulas the archetypal Greek president to clasp the state's highest office, a predominantly ceremonial position, without the support of astatine slightest 1 of the large absorption parties. It looks similar lone immoderate members of the Spartans, a far-right enactment that succeeded the now-banned right-wing extremist Golden Dawn party, volition enactment Tasoulas, a imaginable helium seems nary excessively pleased about.

Three opposing candidates

Already, Tasoulas, 65, is the archetypal campaigner to person to bushed aggregate opposing candidates. Until now, Greece has seen much statement than contention during statesmanlike elections.

When Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced connected January 15 what galore perceived arsenic a partisan candidacy of the parliamentary speaker, the social-democratic Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) nominated a candidate: the erstwhile Labor Minister Tassos Giannitsis, known for an unsuccessful effort to institute sweeping pension reforms successful the aboriginal 2000s.

Greece's erstwhile interior curate Tassos Giannitsis has thrown his chapeau successful the ring, but is not expected to get farImage: Guus Schoonewille/dpa/picture alliance

The center-left SYRIZA party, oregon what's near of it pursuing a divided successful 2023, besides tapped its ain candidate: Louka Katseli, who served arsenic economical minister under the past PASOK-led administration. In 2011, successful the throes of the eurozone indebtedness crisis, she made a sanction for herself arsenic a defender of tiny indebtedness holders against big bank seizures.

Finally, the new ultraconservative enactment Niki, oregon Victory, has besides enactment distant a candidate: the little-known jurist Kostas Kyriakou. Niki enactment person Dimitris Natsios erstwhile called Kyriakou "a heroic governmental captive of Enver Hoxha's regime successful Albania."

The parties are alert that their candidates have little accidental of winning the election. Ultimately, Tasoulas of the New Democracy enactment volition astir apt succeed.

A plaything to the right 

By tapping Tasoulas, Prime Minister Mitsotakis has breached with 50 years of governmental tradition. Until now, blimpish administrations person projected progressive statesmanlike candidates, and vice versa.

Five years ago, Mitsotakis nominated a woman, the progressive Sakellaropoulou, for the highest authorities bureau successful different governmental first. At the time, she was serving arsenic president of the Council of State, Greece's highest administrative court.

While sitting President Katerina Sakellaropoulou would beryllium apt beryllium capable to unafraid a comfy bulk successful the election, she has not been projected arsenic a candidateImage: Chrysa Vachtsevanou/DW

Sakellaropoulou comfortably won the archetypal statesmanlike predetermination round, and galore expect she could person easy remained successful bureau for different 5 years this clip around. She's been a reserved and wide respected president, and it seemed certain she would person been reelected with different casual margin.

Therefore, the remaining questions are why Mitsotakis didn't suggest her this clip and wherefore the caput of authorities did not question a much unifying candidate.

The reply is that Sakellaropoulou was not fashionable with the government's close wing. According to the much blimpish forces wrong the New Democracy party, she was excessively "woke," excessively liberal and excessively unfastened toward minorities and alternate lifestyles. For example, successful 2024, she publically supported Greece introducing same-sex marriage.

Mitsotakis did not propose Sakellaropoulou for a 2nd word to not antagonize his right-wing delegates. Instead of nominating her oregon different progressive politician, helium chose the blimpish Tasoulas.

If anything, Mitsotakis, who sees himself arsenic a wide reformer, appears to feel threatened by the right.

Mitsotakis broke with fractional a period of governmental contented erstwhile beryllium projected a blimpish campaigner arsenic the adjacent presidentImage: One Inch Productions/IMAGO

Left of the New Democracy party, absorption parties are weak and fragmented, portion parties connected the close are gaining strength. In the 2024 European parliamentary elections, right-wing populist and far-right extremist parties gathered astir 20% of the vote, and they're lone expected to turn stronger.

Until now, nary beardown property seems to person emerged successful Greece's right-wing circles who would besides beryllium charismatic capable to a wider elector base, such arsenic successful the lawsuit of Italy oregon France. However, specified a campaigner could originate astatine immoderate clip and stitchery support.

Adapting to a caller zeitgeist

A right-wing starring fig would apt beryllium backed by different strongmen successful this caller Trump era. While Elon Musk has yet to anoint a Greek person arsenic a "savior of the nation," galore far-right extremists successful Athens are surely dreaming of the possibility.

In Mitsotakis' governmental sphere, determination seems to beryllium a communal knowing that the caller zeitgeist is simply a hard plaything to the right. And proposing a blimpish campaigner similar Tasoulas arsenic president sits rather good with that, seeing that he's cozy with the party's nationalist wing.

Tasoulas started his governmental vocation arsenic the backstage caput of Evangelos Averoff, who headed the New Democracy enactment betwixt 1981 and 1984. Working with the ultraconservative Averoff near a profound content connected Tasoulas. He was elected into parliament for the archetypal clip successful 2000 and served arsenic civilization curate and lawman defence minister, among different things, earlier becoming talker successful 2019.

Greece's presumptive adjacent president is well-educated and has a consciousness of humor. But his astir important trait is his loyalty to his enactment and its leader.

This nonfiction was primitively written successful German.