Karolos Papoulias

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is to unveil plans for constitutional reform, including a change to the electoral system and the way the Greek president is elected, once the troika has completed its review of the country’s adjustment program, Kathimerini understands.

Former New Democracy leaders Costas Karamanlis and Constantine Mitsotakis (photo) will take part in the events the party will hold in the next few days to mark the 40th anniversary of its founding, Kathimerini has learned.

To Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis believes the government should nominate professor Nikos Alivizatos as a candidate for next year’s Presidential vote.

As the government seeks to play down rumors about its choice of candidate for president, with the term of incumbent Karolos Papoulias set to end in February, Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis rebuffed rumors that he has been approached but did not explicitly rule out in his interest in the role.

By Costas Iordanidis

Turkey, a country branded by some as undemocratic and maladjusted by European standards, recently elected a new president – Recep Tayyip Erdogan – in a vote that was transparent and with a clear result.

The coalition on Monday attempted to play down Sunday Kathimerini’s report that Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis is being lined up as a nominee for the Greek presidency but at the same time government officials expressed support for the idea of the 65-year-old leftist succeeding Karolos Papoulias early next year.

Greece’s coalition leaders appear set to nominate Fotis Kouvelis, leader of the small Democratic Left (DIMAR) party, as their candidate for the country’s next president after Karolos Papoulias’s tenure expires in February, Kathimerini understands.

SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis on Tuesday indicated that the leftist opposition might not propose a candidate for Greek president when Karolos Papoulias’s term expires in February instead of blocking the coalition government’s suggested candidate as the party has suggested it will do over the past few months.

Greece’s leftist opposition must not manipulate an institution as important as the President of the Republic for the sake of political ends.

Regrettably, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras appears to be mimicking the example of former Socialist Prime Minister George Papandreou, who in 2009 forced early elections by refusing to endorse any of the presidential candidates.

The omnibus bill needed for Greece to receive its next 1-billion-euro sub-tranche from its lenders was passed through Parliament on Wednesday despite containing some provisions that caused skepticism even within the government’s ranks.

In the end, though, 50 MPs in the House’s reduced summer session voted in favor of the collection of reforms and 47 against.