With a nod from Parliament, Greece gets first female president

Top judge Katerina Sakellaropoulou became Greece's first woman president on Wednesday when lawmakers elected her head of state in a rare display of unity.
Sakellaropoulou, 63, has been president of the Council of State, Greece's top administrative court. She will succeed Prokopis Pavlopoulos, whose five-year term expires in March.
In an unusual demonstration of harmony in the fractious world of Greek politics, the conservative party nominee was backed by opposition parties, including the leftist Syriza party which lost power in an election last July.
She was backed by 261 MPs in the 300-member parliament.
Sakellaropoulou, from the northern city of Thessaloniki, became the first female head of the Council of State in 2018, supported for that position by the then leftist government.
A divorcee who lives in central Athens and is active on social media,...

Continue reading on: