DIMAR MP backs idea of party leader Kouvelis becoming next Greek president
Amid reports that Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis is likely to be the coalition’s nominee for the Greek presidency, a leading figure in the party has said he would be an appropriate choice.
DIMAR lawmaker Spyros Likoudis said Kouvelis would make a “very good” president and that he is a figure that could unite enough MPs to secure the necessary majority in Parliament for him to be elected.
“Fotis Kouvelis can be a point of reference and consensus for the House majority,” Lykoudis told Mega TV on Monday.
He was questioned about the presidency after reports that the coalition is set to nominate Kouvelis. Sources told Sunday’s Kathimerini that the DIMAR leader is the government’s preferred choice for the role when current President Karolos Papoulias’s tenure ends in February.
SYRIZA has said it would oppose any candidate in the hope of preventing the coalition securing the minimum 180 votes it needs to elect a new president. This would trigger national elections.
Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was hopeful that the necessary consensus could be achieved early next year. He told Skai radio it was vital to prevent SYRIZA “exploiting the election to prompt political developments.”
