Greece heads to runoff with interim prime minister

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropulo has appointed an interim prime minister to prepare for new elections. Sarma, the head of the Court of Accounts, became the prime minister of the interim government. Sakelaropoulou invited Sarma to the Presidency of the Republic after meeting with the leaders of the parties that have groups in the parliament according to the election results.

President Sakelaropulu told Sarma that "we have officially seen that it is not possible to form a government and so I have summoned you as the constitutional last resort for an interim government." Sarmas said it was a great honor and a constitutional obligation and announced that he had accepted the post of interim prime minister of the government.

WHO IS THE INTERIM PRESIDENT?

Ioannis Sarma, 66, who is taking over as interim prime minister until the second elections, was born in Kos in 1957. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 1979 and later obtained a master's degree (DEA) in Criminal Law (1980-1981) and Public Law (1982-1983) from the University of Paris II.

Since November 4, 2019, Sarma has served as the head of the Court of Accounts and is married with two children.

ELECTION IN GREECE GOES TO RUNOFF

In the general elections held in Greece, according to unofficial results, New Democracy received over 40 percent of the votes (146 seats), 20 points ahead of its closest rival SYRIZA, but failed to reach the 151 seats required to come to power alone.

The leader of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the leader of the second party, the Radical Left Alliance (SYRIZA), Alexis Tsipras, also returned the task of forming a government on the grounds that the necessary conditions for a coalition did not exist.

The leader of the PASOK-KINAL alliance, Nikos Andrulakis, who came third in the elections, also rejected the government formation task given to him by President Katerina Sakelaropoulou.

Mitsotakis announced that they would accelerate their efforts to hold the second elections on June 25.

Source: Anadolu