Sakellaropoulou becomes Greece's first female head of state

Katerina Sakellaropoulou was sworn in as Greece's first woman president on Friday in a ceremony attended by a small number of dignitaries due to the measures in place to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

In brief comments at the Presidential Mansion, where she was welcomed by her predecessor Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Sakellaropoulou expressed hope that the election of Greece's first female president "will improve the position of women in the family and society, so that women stop facing obstacles simply for being born women."

The former head of the Council of State, Greece's highest administrative court, secured an overwhelming majority in a vote in Parliament on January 22.

She urged citizens to fully comply with instructions issued by health authorities to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus and referred to the "real risk to the elderly."