The election of Katerina Sakellaropoulou to the presidency of the Hellenic Republic on 22 January 2020 marked the first time a woman held the highest office in Greece. Elected by 261 members of the 300-seat parliament, she transitioned from a long career in the judiciary to serve as a non-partisan head of state during a period of significant national transition.
Legal Career and Judiciary
Born in 1956 in Thessaloniki, Sakellaropoulou pursued legal education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens before completing postgraduate studies at Panthéon-Assas University in Paris. She spent decades within the Council of State, joining the institution in 1982. Over the course of her tenure, she held various leadership roles within the Association of Judiciary Functionaries and was promoted to the position of councilor in 2000. In 2015, she was appointed vice-president of the Council of State, ultimately ascending to its presidency in 2018.
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Nominated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in early 2020, Sakellaropoulou succeeded Prokopis Pavlopoulos. Her formal inauguration took place on 13 March 2020, during the initial implementation of restrictive measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout her five-year term, she prioritized advocacy for minority rights and environmental protection. In 2023, following the parliament's inability to form a government, she appointed Ioannis Sarmas to lead a caretaker administration. Her presidency concluded in 2025.
Scholarship and Public Life
Beyond her courtroom responsibilities, Sakellaropoulou contributed extensively to legal literature, including the 2017 publication concerning the intersection of financial crisis and environmental protection under Council of State case law. Her public profile involved vocal stances on international affairs, such as her characterization of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a conflict between authoritarianism and freedom. She maintains an interest in domestic sports as a supporter of Aris Thessaloniki.
Fast facts
- Born: 1956, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Presidency: 2020–2025
- Primary Occupation: Jurist, Judge
- Education: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panthéon-Assas University
- Key Appointment: President of the Council of State, 2018–2020
- Religious Affiliation: Eastern Orthodoxy
- Notable Honour: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Questions readers ask
Was she affiliated with a political party during her presidency?
No, she was nominated and elected as a non-partisan candidate.
What was her primary legal focus before becoming president?
She served as a judge and later president of the Council of State, the highest administrative court in Greece.
Achievements
- President of Greece (2020–2025)
- President of the Council of State (2018–2020)
- Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic — 2020
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
- Order of Honour
- Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Beneficence
- Educated at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Panthéon-Assas University Paris
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