Top judge says ‘greatly honored’ to be nominated for president
The head of Greece's Council of State (CoS), Katerina Sakellaropoulou, said Wednesday she felt "greatly honored" to have been nominated for President of the Republic by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier in the evening.
“I believe this proposal honors, in me, both Justice and modern Greek women,” she said in a statement issued after Mitsotakis made the announcement in a televised address on state broadcaster ERT.
“I accept the proposal with a sense of responsibility and, in the event I am elected, I will devote all my energy to serving this high duty, as set out in the Constitution,” she added.
The senior judge, aged 64, said she will abstain from her duties as president of the Council of State, effective immediately.
If her candidacy is approved by Parliament, she will be the first female president in Greece's history and will replace incumbent Prokopis Pavlopoulos, whose term expires in March.
"I think its time for our country to have a worthy Greek woman at the highest position of state," Mitsotakis said in his public statement.
"Katerina Sakellaropoulou offers a united, cross-party, progressive proposal. And she meets all the conditions to be approved by all lawmakers," he added.
