Greece has elected Constantine Tassoulas, a prominent advocate for the return of the Parthenon sculptures, as its new president.
The 65-year-old former parliament speaker secured 160 votes in the 300-member parliament during the fourth round of voting. He succeeds Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the country's first female head of state.
Following the announcement, Tassoulas described his election as “a supreme honor... but above all a precious responsibility”.
A lawyer and member of the governing center-right New Democracy party, Tassoulas previously served as culture minister.
During his tenure, he played a key role in revitalising Greece's campaign to reclaim the 2,500-year-old Parthenon sculptures, often referred to as the Elgin Marbles, from the British Museum.
The largely ceremonial role will see Tassoulas take on the mantle of head of state for a five-year term.
During his time as culture minister, he hosted lawyer Amal Clooney in Athens, who lent her support to the country’s bid for the sculptures’ return. Clooney, the wife of actor George Clooney, helped raise international awareness of the campaign.
The sculptures were removed from the Acropolis in Athens by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and have since been kept in the British Museum.
The Greek government contends their removal was illegal and has long sought their return, seeking to reunite them with other Parthenon artefacts displayed in a museum in the Greek capital.
Greek officials believe the return of the sculptures is more likely now due to the Labour government’s perceived openness to loan agreements.
In December, Keir Starmer ruled out discussing a return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece in his meeting with his Greek counterpart despite claims from Athens that progress had been made on the issue.
While Downing Street insisted that the ancient sculptures would not be on the agenda for the bilateral meeting between the Sir Keir and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Greek government official said progress has been made and it will be discussed further on Tuesday.
The Greek official told The Times: “Progress for the return of the Parthenon marbles has been made by the two sides and that is why Mitsotakis is meeting today with the British prime minister. Nothing is in hiding. Nothing is hidden.”
Ongoing discussions on a potential arrangement would likely include an offer to facilitate rotating exhibitions of ancient Greek artefacts at the British Museum.
In Decmber, a British Museum spokesman said discussions with Greece about a Parthenon Partnership are “on-going and constructive.“
“We believe that this kind of long term partnership would strike the right balance between sharing our greatest objects with audiences around the world, and maintaining the integrity of the incredible collection we hold at the museum.”
