In this Oct 14, 2019 photo, Council of State head Katerina Sakellaropoulou speaks during a panel discussion in Athens. Katerina Sakellaropoulou is set to become the country's first female president in a vote scheduled in parliament Jan 22, 2020, after two opposition parties sided with the center-right government's nomination. (GIORGOS ZACHOS/INTIME NEWS VIA AP)

ATHENS — Top judge Katerina Sakellaropoulou became Greece's first woman president on Wednesday when lawmakers elected her head of state in a rare display of unity.

In an unusual demonstration of harmony in the fractious world of Greek politics, the conservative party nominee was backed by opposition parties

Sakellaropoulou, 64, has been president of the Council of State, Greece's top administrative court. She will succeed Prokopis Pavlopoulos, whose five-year term expires in March.

In an unusual demonstration of harmony in the fractious world of Greek politics, the conservative party nominee was backed by opposition parties, including the leftist Syriza party which lost power in an election last July.

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She was backed by 261 MPs in the 300-member parliament.

Sakellaropoulou, from the northern city of Thessaloniki, became the first female head of the Council of State in 2018, supported for that position by the then leftist government.

A divorcee who lives in central Athens and is active on social media, Sakellaropoulou has written numerous papers on environmental protection and chairs a society on environmental law. She is also an avid cat-lover.

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For decades, failure by parliament to elect a president in Greece could lead to a snap election. Following a recent reform, the process to select a president can go up to five voting rounds in parliament with the threshold starting at 200 votes and gradually falling to the majority of those present in the room.