Who is Who – Konstantinos Tasoulas: Promised Greece’s constructive approach to Kosovo

Konstantinos Tasoulas, who took the oath today as the ninth President of the Hellenic Republic, is a former Speaker of the Greek Parliament with a parliamentary career spanning 25 years. He has been elected Speaker of Parliament three times and has also served as Minister of Culture and Deputy Minister of Defense.

He was elected President of Greece on February 12 and officially took over today from outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Greek Prime Minister and leader of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, nominated Tasoulas for the presidency, praising his deep knowledge of Greek history and his genuine patriotism.

A lawyer by profession, Tasoulas was first elected as a Member of Parliament for New Democracy in the Ioannina electoral district during the 2000 parliamentary elections. He held the position of Speaker of the Greek Parliament from 2019.

Although Greece does not recognize Kosovo, Tasoulas met with Kosovo Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca in Athens in June 2022 as part of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South-East European Cooperation Process. According to Konjufca, their discussions focused on strengthening cooperation, and he expressed gratitude for Greece’s "support for Kosovo."

"I thanked Mr. Tasoulas for the support his country has given to Kosovo throughout all stages of state-building and asked him to deepen inter-parliamentary cooperation between our two countries. Tasoulas assured us that his country will continue its constructive approach to Kosovo," Konjufca stated after the meeting.

A veteran of the Greek parliamentary scene, Tasoulas once remarked in a speech that "democracy is also an art because it is humanity’s greatest cultural achievement."
After his election as President of Greece last month, he pledged to promote national unity.

"Greece must further enhance its international standing while simultaneously striving for progress and internal confidence," he said.

Born in Ioannina in 1959, Tasoulas is married and has two children. He studied at the Athens Law School and is a member of the Athens Bar Association.

He was first elected as a New Democracy MP for the Ioannina electoral district in the 2000 parliamentary elections and was re-elected in 2004, 2007, 2009, twice in 2012, twice in 2015, and in 2019.

Tasoulas was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense in 2007 and Minister of Culture and Sports in 2014, holding the position until January 2015.

He has also served as a special advisor in the ministries of national economy, trade, and agriculture, as well as president of the Export Promotion Agency from 1990 to 1993. He was elected Mayor of Kifisia in 1994.