ATHENS – Court of Audit President Ioannis Sarmas took the oath at the Presidential Mansion on Thursday, shortly after 4:00. President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, was present during the ceremony.

On Wednesday, Sakellaropoulou assigned Sarmas the task of forming a caretaker government after her meetings with the leaders of the top three parties resulting from the May 21 elections. Despite receiving consecutive exploratory mandates to form a government, all the party leaders declined.

A day before, Sakellaropoulou informed Sarmas, “I have already announced to political leaders that I plan to propose you among the three presidents [of Greece’s top courts] to present you with the order to form a government that will oversee the elections.” Sarmas responded by stating that it was his constitutional and civic duty to accept this honor.

Mitsotakis hands over to caretaker PM Sarmas at Maximos Mansion

Former Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis handed over his portfolio to caretaker Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas on Thursday afternoon, in preparation for the second round of elections on June 25.

Before this, Sarmas, a senior judge and the President of the Court of Audit, was sworn in by Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Greece in the presence of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

At the Maximos Mansion, New Democracy leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, extended his best wishes to Sarmas for his role as the interim prime minister. He also presented Sarmas with a folder containing various documents, including a summary of Greece’s priorities and international obligations.

Expressing his gratitude to Mitsotakis and accepting the folder, Sarmas acknowledged that as a caretaker prime minister, his responsibility is to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the state’s executive operations during the countdown to the runoff national elections.