2014–2015 Greek presidential election

Indirect presidential election 2014–2015 Greek presidential election Greece presidential no 2010 Greek presidential election 2010 17 December 2014 – 18 February 2015 2020 Greek presidential election 2020 First round: 200 votes needed to winFinal round: 180 300 members of the Hellenic Parliament no First round Final round File:Vladimir Putin and Prokopis Pavlopoulos (2016-01-15) 02 (cropped).jpg 160x160px Prokopis Pavlopoulos New Democracy (Greece) Syriza, ND & ANEL - 233 (77.6%) File:Η αυτοκτονία του δήμου - Νίκος Αλιβιζάτος - 19-06-18 - Left.gr (cropped).png Nikos Alivizatos Independent politician The River & PASOK - 30 (10.0%) File:Stavros Dimas 2008 (cropped).jpg Stavros Dimas New Democracy (Greece) ND & PASOK 160 (53.3%) - File:Coat of Arms of Greece (Ministries).svg Present/Abstents 140 (46.6%) 37 (12.3%) President President after election Karolos Papoulias PASOK Prokopis Pavlopoulos New Democracy (Greece) Indirect presidential elections were held in Greece in December 2014 and February 2015 for the succession to Karolos Papoulias as President of the Hellenic Republic. The candidate of the ND–PASOK government, Stavros Dimas, failed to secure the required majority of MPs of the Hellenic Parliament in the first three rounds of voting in December. According to the provisions of the Constitution of Greece, a snap election was held on 25 January 2015, which was won by the left-wing Syriza party. Following the convening of the new Parliament, the presidential election resumed. On 18 February 2015, veteran ND politician Prokopis Pavlopoulos, backed by the Syriza-ANEL coalition government, was elected with 233 votes. Date Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos asked (9 December) the Speaker of the Parliament for the procedure of presidential elections to move as quickly as possible. The presidential election was brought forward by a few months, and the first round was held on 17 December, the second on 23 December and the third on 29 December.http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231369522 Στις 17 Δεκεμβρίου η πρώτη ψηφοφορία για την εκλογή Προέδρου Δημοκρατίας Greek in.gr 8 December 2014 11 December 2014 On 9 December 2014, Samaras announced the candidacy of New Democracy politician Stavros Dimas, jointly supported by the ruling New Democracy–PASOK coalition, for the presidency.http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231369674 Σαμαράς: Ο Σταύρος Δήμας υποψήφιος Πρόεδρος Δημοκρατίας Greek in.gr 9 December 2014 11 December 2014 Constitutional provisions According to Article 32 the Greek Constitution, the president is elected for a five-year term by the Hellenic Parliament in a special session at least a month before the incumbent's term expires. The first and second rounds require a supermajority of 200 out of the 300-strong body, dropping to 180 on the third. http://www.presidency.gr/?page_id=19&lang=en President: Election of the President Presidency of the Hellenic Republic 17 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20141225232808/http://www.presidency.gr/?page_id=19 25 December 2014 dead In the event of a non-election even after the third ballot, the parliament is to be dissolved and a snap election to be called within ten days. After reconvening, the new parliament holds a maximum of three further rounds of voting, with the required majority at 180 votes in the fourth and a simple majority of 151 votes in the fifth round. A sixth and last round would be contested between the two candidates with the most votes and decided by a relative majority.http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231369542 Τι προβλέπει το Σύνταγμα για την εκλογή Προέδρου της Δημοκρατίας Greek in.gr 8 December 2014 11 December 2014 Procedure thumb|300px|Distribution of seats in the Hellenic Parliament in December 2014 #1569C7 New Democracy: 125 #FF8080 Syriza: 71 #008142 PASOK: 27 #001533 Golden Dawn: 16 #b0c4de Indep. Democrat MPs: 16 #FF4500 Democratic Left: 14 cyan ANEL: 13 #D30B0B Communist Party: 12 #878787 Independent: 6 First three rounds On the first ballot, held on 17 December, Dimas received 160 votes, i.e. the 155 votes of ND and PASOK, plus five votes from independent MPs. 135 MPs voted "present" and five MPs were absent or abstained.http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231371874 Με 160 "Σταύρος Δήμας" και 135 "παρών" η πρώτη ψηφοφορία Greek in.gr 17 December 2014 17 December 2014 On the second ballot, held 23 December, Dimas received 168 votes. 131 MPs voted "present" and one MP was absent or abstained.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/greece-presidential-vote-second-round Greek presidential vote goes to third round theguardian.com 23 December 2014 23 December 2014 On both ballots, 200 votes would have been necessary for election. On the third ballot, held 29 December, Dimas again received 168 votes, still not meeting the lowered quorum of 180 votes required to be elected in the third round.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/12/greece-parliament-fails-elect-president-20141229104433854668.html Greece parliament fails to elect president Al Jazeera English 29 December 2014 29 December 2014 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/29/greece-crisis-president-snap-election Greece plunged into crisis as failure to elect president sets up snap election Helena Smith Jill Treanor The Guardian 29 December 2014 30 December 2014 Dissolution of Parliament After being asked by prime minister Samaras, incumbent president Papoulias on 31 December issued a presidential decree formally dissolving the parliament, as required by the constitution. The new election was set to be held on 25 January and the new parliament to reconvene on 5 February 2015.https://www.wsj.com/articles/greek-parliament-formally-dissolved-campaigning-begins-1420021930 Greek Parliament Formally Dissolved, Campaigning Begins Granitsas Alkman The Wall Street Journal 2014-12-31 2015-01-04 Following SYRIZA's victory thumb|300px|Distribution of seats in the Hellenic Parliament in February 2015 #FF8080 Syriza: 149 #1569C7 New Democracy: 76 #001533 Golden Dawn: 17 #9C514A The River: 17 #D30B0B Communist Party: 15 #38A3E7 ANEL: 13 #008142 PASOK: 13 Following the electoral victory of SYRIZA in the 25 January election, the new parliament was inaugurated on 5 February, and elected its speaker and presidium the next day. According to the provisions of the Constitution, the new parliament would then immediately have to resume the presidential election. http://www.kathimerini.gr/800928/article/epikairothta/politikh/to-xronodiagramma-gia-kyvernhsh-kai-neo-proedro Το χρονοδιάγραμμα για κυβέρνηση και νέο Πρόεδρο Giorgos S. Bourdaras Kathimerini 26 January 2015 26 January 2015 Greek The first of the three rounds was initially expected to be held either on 7 or on 8 February, but was postponed for 13 February. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231382373 Παρασκευή 13 Φεβρουαρίου η πρώτη ψηφοφορία για την εκλογή Προέδρου in.gr 2 February 2015 3 February 2015 Greek The date was subsequently postponed again, due to the new government's preoccupation with negotiations with the other Eurozone members over Greece's debt, with SYRIZA's candidate for the presidency to be announced on the weekend of 14–15 February. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231384715 Επόμενος "σταθμός": Η υποψηφιότητα για την Προεδρία της Δημοκρατίας in.gr 11 February 2015 12 February 2015 Greek In the aftermath of its victory, it fell to SYRIZA to nominate the main candidate for the second round of the presidential election. According to Greek media, the most likely choice was the Greek EU Commissioner and vice chairman of New Democracy, Dimitris Avramopoulos. The nomination would have been seen both as a gesture of conciliation with the right, but would crucially also have enabled SYRIZA to nominate its own EU Commissioner. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231380568 Επιμένουν τα σενάρια για υποψηφιότητα Αβραμόπουλου για την Προεδρία in.gr 26 January 2015 3 February 2015 Greek Although an unofficial rumour, the suggestion caused a few days of internal dissension within ND. In order to calm spirits within his party, on 30 January Samaras phoned Avramopoulos and assured him that ND would support his eventual candidacy. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231381576 Κίνηση αποφυγής "γαλάζιου" διχασμού η στήριξη Αβραμόπουλου για την Προεδρία in.gr 29 January 2015 3 February 2015 Greek It was also revealed that SYRIZA initially approached the former chairman of ND and Prime Minister in 2004–09, Kostas Karamanlis, but that he turned the offer down. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231381735 "Οχι" είπε ο Καραμανλής στον Τσίπρα για την Προεδρία της Δημοκρατίας in.gr 30 January 2015 4 February 2015 Greek The possibility of Avramopoulos' candidacy however raised voices of protest from SYRIZA MPs as well due to his association with the "policies of the memorandum". http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231382408 Αντιδράσεις στον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ για την υποψηφιότητα Αβραμόπουλου in.gr 2 February 2015 3 February 2015 Greek Greek newspaper To Vima disclosed that high representatives of Syriza also considered the candidacy of the widely respected Eastern Orthodox Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, Anastasios.a Anastasios declined stating that "an Orthodox pontiff has only one defined ecclesiastical task. He cannot take over a political position". http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231382429 Βολιδοσκοπούν τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αλβανίας Αναστάσιο για την Προεδρία in.gr 2 February 2015 3 February 2015 Greekhttp://www.independent.mk/articles/13968 Albanian Archbishop to Tsipras: I Am Not Interested in Politics independent.mk 3 February 2015 9 February 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150209150206/http://www.independent.mk/articles/13968 9 February 2015 dead By 11 February, the two main figures tipped for the office were Karamanlis and Avramopoulos, with government source reporting that any other candidacy would be a radical departure from current plans. In the unlikely event of such an outsider candidature, however, author Ioanna Karystiani and film director Costas Gavras were considered as likely choices, while the candidacy of former Synaspismos chairman Nikos Konstantopoulos would be unlikely since his daughter Zoi Konstantopoulou was the new Speaker of Parliament. Fourth round The announcement of SYRIZA's candidate was expected on Sunday 15 February, but was again postponed for 17 February and the convention of the parliamentary groups of SYRIZA and its government partner ANEL, due to vehement opposition towards Avramopoulos by SYRIZA's inner-party opposition, chiefly the Left Platform led by Panagiotis Lafazanis. The next round of voting was scheduled to be held on the next day, 18 February. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231385874 Την Τρίτη η ανακοίνωση Τσίπρα για τον υποψήφιο Πρόεδρο της Δημοκρατίας in.gr 15 February 2015 17 February 2015 Greek On 17 February, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras nominated veteran New Democracy politician and former Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos for the post. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231386407 Τον Προκόπη Παυλόπουλο πρότεινε η κυβέρνηση για Πρόεδρο in.gr 17 February 2015 17 February 2015 Greek In reaction, The River proposed the distinguished jurist Nikos Alivizatos as its own candidate for the presidency. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231386452 Τον Νίκο Αλιβιζάτο προτείνει για Πρόεδρο το Ποτάμι in.gr 17 February 2015 17 February 2015 Greek New Democracy was expected to support Pavlopoulos, while PASOK announced its support for Alivizatos. The Communist Party of Greece declared that regardless of the candidate, its MPs would vote "present". Given party strength in Parliament, where SYRIZA held 149 seats, ANEL 13 seats, and New Democracy 76 seats, Pavlopoulos was expected to comfortably pass the necessary majority of 180 votes. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231386473 Την Τετάρτη εκλέγεται Πρόεδρος ο Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος in.gr 17 February 2015 17 February 2015 Greek On 18 February, Pavlopoulos was elected as the new president of the republic with 233 votes in favour, while 30 were for Alivizatos, and 32 MPs (from the Communists and Golden Dawn) voted "present". Five MPs were absent, with two ND MPs being abroad, and two SYRIZA and one ND MPs deliberately abstaining. http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231386727 Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας με 233 ψήφους ο Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος in.gr 18 February 2015 18 February 2015 Greek Rounds overview Votes   1st Round    17 December 2014     2nd Round    23 December 2014     3rd Round    29 December 2014     4th Round    18 February 2015  Stavros Dimas (ND, PASOK)160168168–Prokopis Pavlopoulos (Syriza, ANEL, ND)–––233Nikos Alivizatos (The River, PASOK)–––30Present13513113232Abstents5105Total300300300300Votes required200200180180 Reactions As the ruling ND–PASOK coalition did not have enough seats to ensure the election of a president of the republic, the possibility of snap elections, which could be won by the leftist anti-austerity Syriza party and its leader Alexis Tsipras, that was then leading in opinion polls, caused widespread anxiety over Greece's future, struggling to exit a prolonged government-debt crisis. On Tuesday, 30 December 2014, following the announcement of the elections being brought forward, the Athens Stock Exchange fell by 9.5% https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30435311 Greek shares fall for third day on election fears BBC News 11 December 2014 11 December 2014 and interest rates for 10-year loans of Greece went up to 9%. The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker all but supported the coalition candidate Stavros Dimas. In a television debate on 11 December he said: "I think that the Greeks - who have a very difficult life - know very well what a wrong election result would mean for Greece and the eurozone." http://euobserver.com/political/126880 Juncker: Greece should avoid 'wrong outcome' in elections EUobserver 11 December 2014 16 December 2014 See also Greek withdrawal from the eurozone Footnotes a There is precedent of an ecclesiastical head of state or government in Eastern Orthodox countries: Archbishop Makarios III served as President of Cyprus, Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens served as regent and Prime Minister of Greece, Archbishop Kliment of Tarnovo served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and Patriarch Miron of Romania served as regent and Prime Minister of his country. References 30em Category:Presidential elections in Greece Greek presidential election Greek presidential election Greek presidential election Greek presidential election Category:December 2014 in Greece Category:February 2015 in Greece