The second round of Greece’s presidential election concluded with no decisive outcome, as expected, with all 300 Members of Parliament (MPs) casting their votes but failing to reach the necessary threshold to elect a new president.

With no significant shifts from the first round, the process now moves toward a third round scheduled for February 6.

The ruling New Democracy (ND) party’s candidate, Konstantinos Tasoulas, secured 160 votes, maintaining strong support from the 156 ND MPs and gaining backing from right-wing independent MPs, including Antonis Samaras, Marios Salmas, Pavlos Sarakis (formerly of Hellenic Solution), and Haris Katsivardas (formerly of the Spartans).

Meanwhile, Tasos Giannitsis, the PASOK-backed candidate, received 34 votes, with additional support from independent MPs Petros Pappas, Rania Thraskia, and Buran Barkhan. A minor mix-up occurred when MP Panagiotis Paraskevaidis mistakenly referred to "Anastasios Tasoulas" instead of "Anastasios Giannitsis", but he quickly corrected the error.

Louka Katseli, supported by SYRIZA and New Left MPs, garnered 40 votes, marking an increase from the first round as Yiannis Sarakiotis joined the independents backing her.

Kostas Kyriakou, the "Niki" party candidate, received 14 votes, gaining support from independent MPs Floros, Dimitrokalis, Manousos, and Valtogiannis, all former Spartans MPs.

Additionally, 52 MPs opted for "Present", mirroring the first round. This included MPs from the Communist Party (KKE), Hellenic Solution, and Plefsi Eleftherias, as well as six independents aligned with Stefanos Kasselakis. Notably, Spartans MPs Aspiotis and Gavgiotakis, who had missed the first round, participated this time.

Despite leading in votes, Konstantinos Tasoulas has faced growing opposition, with allegations of covering up details of the deadly Tempi train disaster. Families of victims, supported by left-wing parties, have accused Tasoulas of obstructing transparency in revealing the full causes of the accident.

The opposition’s campaign against him has intensified following mass demonstrations in Greece and several European cities over the weekend, where protesters demanded accountability and justice. New Democracy’s standing has been further weakened by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s recent televised remarks on the disaster, which were widely criticized as inadequate.

The third round of voting is scheduled for February 6 at 10 a.m., requiring 180 votes for a candidate to be elected. However, no clear winner is expected, making a fourth round on February 12 highly likely.

In the fourth round, the threshold will drop to 151 votes, making Tasoulas the anticipated winner, given his strong support from ND and allied independents.

With tensions rising over the Tempi disaster allegations, the opposition is expected to continue pressuring Tasoulas, but as it stands, his path to the presidency remains intact. (ILKHA)