It seems clear that the Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will not be having a second term. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with Sakellaropoulou on Wednesday. At the end of the week, or at the latest early next week, he is expected to announce his nomination for the person who will occupy the Presidential Palace for the next five years.

Speculation from outside and leaks from inside the halls of parliament estimate that Sakellaropoulou can no longer garner the 200 votes required by the Constitution for election of the president, and as such Mitsotakis will name another candidate. 

Mitsotakis is thus faced with a dilemma regarding who he choses for the next presidential candidate. Selecting a candidate from within the ranks of New Democracy would satisfy the party’s electoral base and the “blue” MPs but is unlikely to garner broad support. On the other hand, opting for a figure from the opposing camp would almost certainly secure a greater number of votes, but disrupt New Democracy’s party unity.

New Democracy currently has 155 MPs, so they will need votes from at least 45 members of parliament to put their candidate in the position in the first voting rounds.

According to To Vima, the Prime Minister’s list has been narrowed down to two names. 

Kostas Tasoulas

Kostas Tasoulas is currently President of the parliament. Rising through the ranks of New Democracy, Tasoulas began his parliamentary journey as an MP for Ioannina in 2000, earning re-election in successive terms and taking on roles such as Deputy Minister of National Defence (2007), Minister of Culture and Sports (2014-2015), and eventually President of the Hellenic Parliament in 2019, a position he held for three terms. His leadership extended to shaping the party’s vision as Secretary General of the Parliamentary Group (2010) and spearheading constitutional reforms in 2018. Beyond parliament, he was President of the Konstantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy.

Tasoulas is an easy choice for the New Democracy faction, with full support expected from its MPs to secure his election. However it seems unlikely that PASOK will back this decision, and support from other parties is all but ruled out. 

Evangelos Venizelos

Evangelos Venizelos has also been named as a strong contender for nomination, with a clear edge over Tasoulas due to his potential to secure broader cross-party support. An important figure in Greek politics, Venizelos has served as Deputy Prime Minister (2011–2015), President of PASOK (2012–2015) and held numerous ministerial positions from 1993 to 2015, including Foreign Affairs, Finance, Justice, and Culture, during which he oversaw key initiatives like the 2004 Olympics preparations and the restructuring of Greece’s public debt. A ten-time MP for Thessaloniki, Venizelos has also had a distinguished academic career as a Professor of Constitutional Law at Aristotle University and has published extensively on legal and political topics.

 Venizelos seems almost guaranteed to collect all the PASOK votes, and could broadcast the message that Mitsotakis is looking to maintain his party’s ties with centrist voters. However this selection could also turn off some of New Democracy’s more right-wing elements.