Former Speaker of the Greek Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, has officially been sworn in as the ninth President of the Hellenic Republic since the end of the 1967–1974 dictatorship and the abolition of the monarchy.
Following his swearing-in by the Archbishop of Athens in parliament, Tasoulas laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the parliament building. He will then make a short trip to the Presidential Mansion, where he will formally assume power from Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
The 66-year-old Tasoulas was elected President on February 12 with 160 votes in the 300-seat Parliament, primarily supported by members of his party, the ruling center-right New Democracy.
Tasoulas has had a long political career, first elected as an MP for New Democracy in 2000, and was re-elected in subsequent elections in 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2023. His previous roles include:
- Deputy Minister of Defense (2007–2009)
- Minister of Culture and Sports (2014–2015)
- Speaker of Parliament (2019–2024)
- Mayor of Kifisia (1995–1998), a northern suburb of Athens.
The swearing-in ceremony was marred by political controversy, as two parties, Course of Freedom and Greek Solution, boycotted the event in protest over Tasoulas’ nomination by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
It is also worth noting that Greece’s presidential election only succeeded on the fourth attempt.
