Politicians Zoe Anastasopoulou and Giorgos Varemenos have taken their parliamentary oaths to fill two vacant seats for the left-wing SYRIZA party in Greece.
The two incoming lawmakers took a secular civil oath during a plenary sitting of the Hellenic Parliament. Anastasopoulou assumed the seat vacated by Dionysis Kalamatianos, while Varemenos took over the position previously held by Miltos Zamparas after both politicians resigned from their parliamentary office and the SYRIZA parliamentary group last week.
SYRIZA president Rena Dourou attended the swearing-in ceremony in the parliamentary chamber to observe the proceedings and support the new deputies.
Giannis Plakiotakis, who presided over the parliamentary session, formally received the oaths and wished both lawmakers good fortune and success as they began their work in the legislature.
Parliamentary oaths and procedure
The Hellenic Parliament is the 300-seat unicameral legislature of Greece, housed in the historic Old Royal Palace on Syntagma Square in central Athens. Greek lawmakers have the constitutional option to choose between a religious oath on the Gospel administered by Orthodox Church officials and a non-religious civil declaration when entering the assembly.
Under Greek electoral rules, vacant seats in parliament do not trigger local by-elections. When a lawmaker resigns during a four-year legislative term, the mandate passes automatically to the highest-ranking unelected candidate from the same party list in that electoral district.
SYRIZA party changes
SYRIZA, formally known as the Coalition of the Radical Left, is one of the main left-wing political forces in Greece. Varemenos has a long public career as a journalist and veteran politician, having previously represented SYRIZA in the Greek parliament and served as a deputy speaker of the house during earlier legislative sessions.
Plakiotakis, who oversaw the swearing-in ceremony from the podium, represents the governing New Democracy party and serves as a deputy speaker. The entry of Anastasopoulou and Varemenos ensures that both seats remain occupied following the departures of Kalamatianos and Zamparas.
