Greece’s new president of the republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, was sworn-in on Friday in Parliament. The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos, administered the oath of office.
The oath of the Greek president was as follows:
“I swear in the name of the Holy, Con-substantial and Indivisible Trinity to safeguard the Constitution and the laws, to ensure their faithful observance, to defend the national independence and territorial integrity of the Country, to protect the rights and liberties of the Greeks and to serve the general interest and the progress of the Greek People.”
As per guidelines and precautions issued by public health authorities to reduce possible exposure to the coronavirus, only 170 people attended the ceremony in Greece’s Parliament, down from the 1,000 usually foreseen.
Afterwards, Greece’s first female president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in front of the Parliament building in downtown Athens, before arriving at the nearby presidential mansion for a brief office transfer ceremony.
Outgoing president Prokopis Pavlopoulos received his successor and extended his best wishes as Sakellaropoulou becomes the new head of state. In breaking protocol for the swearing-in ceremony and related events, no handshakes or osculation were exchanged, in line with health ministry guidelines to prevent possible Covid-19 infection.
fotos Ch.Bonis