Conservative law professor Prokopis Pavlopoulos voted new Greek president
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos speaks during Exposec international security conference, in Zappeion hall, Athens. Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 that his party would endorse former conservative interior minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos as candidate for the country's new president. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File) (The Associated Press)
Greece's parliament has elected a conservative law professor and veteran politician as the country's new president, after he received support from the new left-wing government and main center-right opposition party.
Prokopis Pavlopoulos' election Wednesday ends an impasse over the presidential selection that triggered early general elections last month.
Pavlopoulos, 64, was seen as a surprise choice, as conservative European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos had widely been considered the front-runner for the largely ceremonial post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The vote was held at Greece struggles to revise a bailout deal in negotiations with Eurozone rescue lenders that had rekindled fears that the country could lose its place in the single currency.