A lawyer by trade, Tassoulas is also a member of the governing center-right New Democracy party and served as culture minister a decade ago, helping reinvigorate Greece’s campaign to reclaim the 2,500-year-old Parthenon sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.
Greek lawmakers on Wednesday elected a former parliament speaker and leading advocate for the return of the disputed Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum as the country’s new president.
During his tenure as culture minister, he hosted lawyer Amal Clooney in Athens, who lent her support to the country’s bid for the sculptures’ return.
The Greek government contends their removal was illegal and has long sought their return, seeking to reunite them with other Parthenon artifacts displayed in a museum in the Greek capital.
The sculptures were removed from the Acropolis in Athens by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 1800s and have since been kept in the British Museum.
