Kouvelis avoids ruling out his potential candidacy for Greek president
As speculation intensifies about Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis being the ruling coalition’s favored candidate for president, with the term of incumbent Karolos Papoulis set to expire in February, the DIMAR chief said on Friday that he had not been approached by the government on the matter but appeared to suggest that he would not be averse to the prospect.
“The issue will be settled when the time is right and in connection with the political situation that will prevail and the policies that will be exercised at the time,” Kouvelis told a session of DIMAR’s executive committee.
Kouvelis’ statement followed reports suggesting that DIMAR will only consider backing Kouvelis as a candidate if it sees a shift in the coalition’s policy away from austerity. Currently, opinion appeared to remain divided in the ranks of DIMAR on the question of Kouvelis’s possible candidacy.
