At 11:30 AM, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will cross the threshold of the Presidential Mansion to meet with Katerina Sakellaropoulou, thus officially opening the process for electing a new President of the Republic.

It is now widely known that Ms. Sakellaropoulou will not remain in office for another five-year term. Sources from protothema.gr reveal that she was informed of this decision in advance by a third party carrying the Prime Minister’s message. Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to thank Ms. Sakellaropoulou for her service and the manner in which she carried out her duties. It remains to be seen whether his remarks during their discussion at the Presidential Mansion will hint at the upcoming developments.

According to informed sources, once the brief televised dialogue concludes and journalists leave the room, Mr. Mitsotakis is likely to reveal his intentions to Ms. Sakellaropoulou regarding her successor. Either later this afternoon or, at the latest, tomorrow morning, he is expected to make a televised statement announcing his decision, thereby triggering the parliamentary procedures that are set to conclude by early February.

A Shift Toward a Political Choice

Unlike the context of 2020, Mr. Mitsotakis appears to have settled on the necessity of appointing a political figure to the nation’s highest office.

Tasoulas: Running Unopposed

As for who will succeed Ms. Sakellaropoulou, all indications point to the Speaker of Parliament, Kostas Tasoulas. Yesterday, Mr. Tasoulas even received a playful jab from SYRIZA parliamentary representative Christos Giannoulis, who, while speaking at the parliamentary podium, quipped as Tasoulas entered the chamber.

“The President of the Republic must be someone who unites and exudes gravitas, and there are figures with these unifying and dignified qualities in all political spaces—center-left, center, and center-right,” government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stated yesterday on ERT, emphasizing that consensus does not necessarily require nominating a figure from the opposing political camp.

When asked about the matter, Mr. Tasoulas remains tight-lipped, steadfastly focusing on his current institutional role and declining to engage in further discussion.

Speculation About a Surprise

Despite the widespread belief in Tasoulas’s candidacy, which protothema.gr has highlighted early on, some wonder if a surprise might be in store. “It is highly unlikely that an entirely unexpected candidate—someone not mentioned or on the shortlist—will emerge,” said a source close to the Prime Minister. Some interpreted a recent remark by Mr. Mitsotakis during a conversation with students from a vocational high school in Perama about the need for bold decisions as a possible hint. “Sometimes, we must choose the boldest, most forward-thinking solution, even if it causes temporary turmoil or political costs,” the Prime Minister told the students.

Nonetheless, the Presidency of the Republic does not appear to be a role suited to “bold solutions” at this juncture, especially given Mr. Mitsotakis’s frequent emphasis on the political center, most recently exemplified in his eulogy for Kostas Simitis.

The Votes and the Successor

Regardless of the choice, Mr. Tasoulas’s candidacy is unlikely to garner widespread parliamentary support, as PASOK has already stated it will not vote for him. Based on current estimates, a fourth round of voting may be required, during which the Speaker could be elected with over 150 but fewer than 180 votes. It is expected that independent MPs like Antonis Samaras and Marios Salmas, formerly of New Democracy (ND), will vote in his favor. However, it remains to be seen whether any of the 24 independent MPs will support the government’s proposal. Meanwhile, Kyriakos Velopoulos’s Greek Solution party and Dimitris Natsios’s NIKI party, which did not vote for Tasoulas in the summer of 2023, are unlikely to support him now.

If Mr. Tasoulas moves to the Presidency in March, Nikitas Kaklamanis, the long-serving Deputy Speaker of Parliament and experienced MP from Athens A, is a strong candidate to replace him as Speaker. Kaklamanis’s potential appointment is seen as a way to address internal ND tensions, given his open line of communication with several ND MPs who have expressed concerns in recent months, as well as his longstanding cross-party relationships.