Katerina Sakellaropoulou

Katerina Sakellaropoulou[1] (Greek: Κατερίνα Σακελλαροπούλου, [kateˈrina sacelaroˈpulu]; born 30 May 1956) is the President of Greece.[2] She was elected to succeed former President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, by the Hellenic Parliament on 22 January 2020. Prior to her election as President of Greece, she served as President of the Council of State, the highest administrative court of Greece.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou Κατερίνα Σακελλαροπούλου
President of Greece
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 March 2020
Prime Minister	Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Preceded by	Prokopis Pavlopoulos
President of the Council of State
In office 17 October 2018 – 11 February 2020
Vice President	Athanasios Rantos
Preceded by	Nikolaos Sakellariou
Succeeded by	Athanasios Rantos
Vice President of the Council of State
In office 22 October 2015 – 17 October 2018
President	Nikolaos Sakellariou
Preceded by	Nikolaos Sakellariou
Succeeded by	Athanasios Rantos
Personal details
Born	Aikaterini Sakellaropoulou (1956-05-30) 30 May 1956 Thessaloniki, Kingdom of Greece
Political party	Independent
Residence	Presidential Mansion
Education	University of Athens University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas
Signature

Sakellaropoulou is the first female president of Greece.[3]

Biography

Sakellaropoulou was born in Thessaloniki. Her family comes from Stavroupoli, Xanthi, a town in Xanthi prefecture. She studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and completed her postgraduate studies at public law at Paris II University. In the mid-1980s, she was admitted to the Council of State and she was promoted to councellor in 2000.[4]

In October 2015 she was appointed Vice-President of the Council of State, and in October 2018 she became the first female president of the court, following a unanimous vote.[5] Her election came after the Syriza government, which was in power at the time, considered her progressive record on issues such as the environment and human rights.[6]

She has been a member of the Association of Judiciary Functionaries of the Council of State. During her tenure at the association, she has served as its Secretary-General (1985–1986), Vice-President (2006–2008), and President (1993–1995, 2000–2001).[4]

She publishes regularly in academic journals. She has also contributed to the book Financial crisis and environmental protection on the case law of the Council of State (Greek: Οικονομική κρίση και προστασία του περιβάλλοντος στη νομολογία του Συμβουλίου της Επικρατείας), Papazisis Publications, 2017.[7]

Nomination and election as president

On 15 January 2020, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, nominated her for the post of President of the Hellenic Republic,[8][9] a post she was elected to on 22 January 2020 with 261 MPs voting in favour in the 300-seat Parliament.[3]

Personal life

Sakellaropoulou lives with her partner, Pavlos Kotsonis, a lawyer.[10] She has one child from a previous marriage.[11]

She is an Aris Thessaloniki supporter.[12]

References

1. "Katerina Sakellaropoulou". Facebook. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
2. "President – Presidency of the Hellenic Republic". Retrieved 2020-03-15.
3. "Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας εξελέγη η Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου, του Γιώργου Σ. Μπουρδάρα | Kathimerini". kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
4. "Ποια είναι η πρώτη γυναίκα πρόεδρος του ΣτΕ, Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου". news.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
5. "Όλα τα ονόματα των προέδρων και αντιπροέδρων των Ανωτάτων Δικαστηρίων". iefimerida.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
6. Smith, Helena (Jan 16, 2020). "Progressive judge to become Greece's first female president". Retrieved Mar 13, 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
7. "Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου". biblionet.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
8. "Greek PM taps top female judge as country's president". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
9. "Greek PM Taps Top Female Judge as Country's President". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
10. "Το προφίλ της Σακελλαροπούλου: Λάτρης της φύσης, των ταξιδιών και των γατών". star.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
11. Smith, Helena (2020-01-16). "Progressive judge to become Greece's first female president". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
12. "Νέα Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας: Η σχέση της Κατερίνας Σακελλαροπούλου με τη Θεσσαλονίκη". metrosport.gr. Retrieved 2020-01-16.

Legal offices
Preceded by Nikolaos Sakellariou	Vice President of the Council of State 2015–2018	Succeeded by Athanasios Rantos
	President of the Council of State 2018–2020
Political offices
Preceded by Prokopis Pavlopoulos	President of Greece 2020–present	Incumbent
Order of precedence
First	Order of precedence of Greece as President of the Republic	Succeeded by Kyriakos Mitsotakis as Prime Minister