The third round of voting for the Presidency of the Greek Republic is set to take place on the morning of Thursday, February 6. As expected, none of the candidates are anticipated to secure the necessary number of 180 votes to win.
The vote will begin at 10 a.m. in a special plenary session. However, with this round also expected to be inconclusive, the process is likely to extend into a fourth round.
The third round of voting is taking place in a heavy atmosphere within parliament, as the opposition is taking initiatives against the government, following new evidence that has come to light regarding the Tempi train crash and the nationwide demonstrations that took place in support of the victims’ families.
PASOK is set to submit a proposal for a preliminary inquiry and SYRIZA is insisting on filing a motion of no confidence against the government.
The opposition is once again targeting the New Democracy-nominated candidate for the presidency, Konstantinos Tasoulas following accusations from families of the victims of the tragic Tempi train disaster, that he was involved in covering up valuable evidence regarding the cause of the disaster.
Kostantinos Tasoulas is in the Lead
Despite the sentiment against him, Konstantinos Tasoulas is still leading all candidates with 160 votes. Specifically, he has received support from the ruling New Democracy party as well as from independent MPs including former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Marios Salmas, both formerly of New Democracy, along with Haris Katsivardas, who was previously with the Spartans party, and Pavlos Sarakis, formerly of the Greek Solution parliamentary group.
PASOK’s nominee Tasos Giannitsis is expected to receive 34 votes with the addition of independent MPs Petros Pappas, Rania Thraskia, and Baran Bourhan .
SYRIZA and the New Left MPs are expected to continue supporting Louka Katseli’s candidacy. With additional support from Athina Linou, Giannis Sarakiotis, and Areti Papaioannou, Katseli now secures a total of 40 votes.
The candidate from Northern Epirus, Kostas Kyriakou, received 14 positive votes during the second round. In addition to the 10 MPs from “Niki,” four independent MPs formerly with the Spartans party, also supported him.
