Greece’s parliament has elected Constantine Tassoulas, a key ally of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as the country’s new president, despite ongoing protests demanding justice for the fatal Tempe train crash in 2023.
Tassoulas, nominated by the conservative government, won 160 votes in the 300-seat parliament on Wednesday, February 12, succeeding Katerina Sakellaropoulou, whose term ends in March.
Mitsotakis praised Tassoulas for his political experience, widespread acceptance, and “unifying spirit,” citing these qualities as the reasons for his nomination. However, his election sparked anger among protesters outside parliament.
Many accuse Tassoulas, who served as parliamentary speaker during the time of the crash, of failing to investigate political responsibility for the tragedy.
In February 2023, a fatal collision between a freight train and a passenger train filled with students killed 57 people near the city of Larissa. The incident sparked nationwide protests, with many blaming safety deficiencies in Greece’s railway system and calling for accountability.
A judicial inquiry is ongoing, but political figures have not been investigated, as only parliament holds that power under Greek law.
Experts hired by the victims’ families have raised doubts about the causes of the crash, including theories surrounding the freight train’s cargo. Meanwhile, the centre-right government led by Mitsotakis has rejected accusations of any wrongdoing.
Opposition parties from the centre-left and left-wing did not support the 65-year-old Tassoulas, a lawyer with extensive political experience, having previously served as Greece’s culture minister and deputy defence minister.
Upon accepting his nomination, Tassoulas called it a “paramount honour and responsibility.”
