The second round of voting for Greece’s next President will take place at 12 o’ clock noon on Tuesday, 23. December 2014. The voting procedure, a roll call, lasts 40 minutes. Just like in the first round of voting, coalition government candidate Stavros Dimas will need 200 votes to be elected, a target considered impossible to be achieved.
160 votes in 1. round
In the first round of voting, coalition government Nea Dimokratia and PASOK managed to gain the additional votes of 5 independent MPs. ND and PASOK have together 155 votes.
Chances seem better for Stavros Dimas in the second round, as three additional independent MPs declared that they will vote for him.
As I write this post on (Dec 21st), the government seems to gather together at total of 163 votes:
155 votes ND + PASOK
5 votes by independent MPs who voted in the first round
3 votes by independent MPs, who declared to do so Saturday and Sunday.
2. round of voting – chances
On Sunday, Prime Ministee Antonis Samaras addressed the nation making the proposal:
“Consensus on the presidential vote, conclusion of the negotiations with the Troika, a broader governing coalition and snap elections even at the end of 2015.”The term of ND and PASOK coalition officially ends in June 2016.
After Samaras’ speech, two independent MPs declared that they will vote for Dimas.
As the speech was apparently convincing speech, media report that the government aims to get 172 votes in the second round. This is, of course, below the needed 200, but the government targets the third round of voting, when only 180 votes will be needed.
The presidential election takes place in the shadow of an attempted bribery scandal, according to which a middleman allegedly offered 2-3 million euro ton an MP from nationalist Independent Greeks party beginning of December so that he would vote in favor of Stavros Dimas.
Even after Samaras’ speech and his proposal, opposition parties SYRIZA, Independent Greeks, Communist KKE, Democratic Left and Golden Dawn have declared that they will vote against Stavros Dimas.
The third voting is scheduled for 29th December.
Should the Parliament fail to elect the President, it has to be dissolved and snap elections have to be held.
Currently the mission to elect a President seems impossible, and snap polls could be held either on 25. January or 1. February 2015.
