A series of opinion polls commissioned by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and conducted between October and December 2024 determined his choice of a new president of the republic, Kathimerini understands.
The polls tested the favorability of seven candidates for the largely ceremonial presidency, as well as that of incumbent Katerina Sakellaropoulou, both among the public at large and among supporters of various political parties.
Mitsotakis is known for not making decisions without taking account of their reception by the public, and the decision on the new president could not be an exception to the rule.
Mitsotakis could have recommended the re-appointment of Sakellaropoulou to a second, and final, five-year term, but the opinion polls showed a large majority, 61.4% to 31.9%, against such a move.
Not only was the incumbent president, a former top judge coming from the center-left, unpopular with conservatives, but she was widely rejected by supporters of left-wing SYRIZA, while voters of socialist PASOK were evenly divided. Thus, Mitsotakis faced the prospect of an MP revolt, while support from the center-left, which had overwhelmingly voted for Sakellaropoulou in 2020, was uncertain.
In choosing Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas, Mitsotakis preferred to keep the ruling party together, whatever the opposition, or those centrist and center-left voters who have backed Mitsotakis since 2019, had to say. And Tasoulas, even with his impeccable conservative pedigree, has made few, if any, enemies as speaker.
Another benefit for Mitsotakis is the elevation to the speaker’s perch of veteran MP Nikitas Kaklamanis who has often walked a fine line between loyalty to the leader and barbed criticism.
Only one among the seven polled alternative candidates to the current president had a net favorability rating (+14%) – Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and he ruled himself out. Tasoulas had the second highest favorability rating and it was a negative 6.5% (37.6% positive opinions and 44.1% negative). Former socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos had the next highest positives (34.5%), but also quite high negatives (61.5%), despite the fact that half of pro-New Democracy respondents were favorable.