The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, responding to a journalist’s question on how he finds the result of the first vote in the Greek Parliament for the election of the President of the Hellenic Republic, he made the following statement:

“The outcome of the vote indicates that the candidature of Stavros Dimas is a dynamic one. There is a significant percentage of the Greek Parliament that is characterised as politically modest and mature, and desires to vote in favour of Dimas’ candidature. This image is fully recognised.
The times are critical and the voices that seek for stability and the predominance of the spirit of the Constitution are getting increasingly intense.
I believe that this will show in the next votes. I wish that these voices will be able to integrate to our own voices that seek for the predominance of Democracy in the Greek Parliament.
There is room for political moves and cross-party interactions, which could lead to the election of the new President of the Hellenic Republic by the present Parliament. However, this goal calls for political accord and unity as regards to national interest, two factors that are necessary for promoting the quality of Democracy in Greece”.