Rousopoulos gains support for Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly presidency

Member of parliament and former minister of New Democracy, Theodoros Rousopoulos stands on the brink of assuming the presidency of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, having gathered 73% in Thursday’s vote among European People’s Party members from the Council’s 46 member countries. 

The final decision is scheduled for January 22 during the parliamentary session in Strasbourg. Most opposition parties are expected to support Rousopoulos, as they have endorsed his election. Rousopoulos will be the first Greek politician to occupy this position.

Reflecting on the potential role, Rousopoulos remarked, “I contemplate the weight of this great honor. Democracy and human rights are our sole refuge in times when everything is tested. I feel the responsibility. I thank my fellow New Democracy party members, the European People’s Party, especially Dora Bakoyannis, head of the Greek delegation to the Council of Europe, and foremost, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for his support in this effort.”