Greece hands reins to first female president

Greece on Friday swore in the first female president in its history as the country grapples with over 100 coronavirus cases.

According to reports, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a 63-year-old senior judge, becomes the new Greek head of state for a five-year term.

She took a religious oath in parliament before Archbishop Ieronymos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church.

She was scheduled to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- Greece's foremost military monument -- before heading to the presidential mansion for a handover ceremony with outgoing president Prokopis Pavlopoulos, parliament said.

Known as low-key and living in a working-class district of Athens, Sakellaropoulou has made it known she prefers to be called Katerina, instead of the more formal Ekaterini.

The ceremony in parliament was drastically scaled back as a result of the virus outbreak, with around 150 guests present instead of a planned 1,000 -- and no handshakes.

Nominated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Sakellaropoulou was elected by parliament in January by 261 out of 300 lawmakers, one of the broadest cross-party majorities in Greek history.

The petite, bespectacled former judge has set out her priorities as tackling the economic crisis, climate change and mass migration.

The new president was until now the head of Greece's top administrative court, the Council of State.

SS