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Greek PM names Stavros Dimas as Presidential candidate; “political suicide” for Samaras?

In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday noon, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras named former EU Commissioner Stavros Dimas as the Presidential candidate. the announcement was made about an hour after Dimas had a meeting with Samaras in the Prime Minister’s office.

Stavros Dimas, 73, is a center-right politician who was European Commissioner for the Environment from 2004 to 2009.

In the pro-austerity government of Lucas Papademos, Stavros Dimas, Dimas served as Foreign Minister from November 2011 to May 2012.

He has been a member of Nea Demokratia since 1977 and he was elected to the Greek parliament ten consecutive times from that year.

He has studied law and economics.

Considering the constitutional procedures for the election of a President of the Hellenic Republic, Stavros Dimas will need 200 votes in the first and second round of voting and 180 votes in the third and last round.

Coalition government Nea Dimokratia-PASOK have just 154 seats in the Greek Parliament, while they count to win also at least 12 votes from independent MPs. A Sisifu’s work for the Greek coalition to reach 200 votes for their candidate.

By picking up a candidate from his own conservative Nea Dimokratia, PM Samaras seems to torpedo chances for a consent-candidate that also some members of the opposition parties could be willing to vote for.

The three voting rounds set for December 17th, December 23rd and December 27th 2014.

Should the Parliament fail to elect Stavros Dimas as President, the Parliament has to be dissolved and snap polls are due.

Allegedly, the Constitution allows the government to name a new Presidential candidate after two voting rounds have ended in failure.

Maybe the Prime Minister Samaras got a deep insight view in the economics of the country and decided to leave the hot potato in the hands of left-wing SYRIZA.

Already before the announcement of the name of the presidential candidate, SYRIZA has claimed that next parliamentary elections will be held on January 27th 2015.

More info on Stavros Dimas here.

PS What? Dimas’ son is an MP now and he will vote for his father? Oh No…. Not in Greece!?

 

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