ATHENS -- Constantine Tassoulas, former speaker of the Greek Parliament, was elected as the country's new president on Wednesday.

Tassoulas, the nominee of the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party, secured 160 votes in the fourth round of voting, the same as in the previous rounds. The other three candidates each received fewer than 50 votes.

A total of 276 members of parliament took part in Wednesday's vote. Under the Greek Constitution, a candidate needs at least 151 votes in the 300-member assembly to win the presidency in the fourth round, a threshold lowered from 180 votes in the third round and 200 votes in the first two rounds held over the past three weeks.

Tassoulas, a seasoned politician from the ND party, served as Minister of Culture and Sports in 2014 and has been elected Speaker of the Greek Parliament three times by a large majority since 2019.

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