ATHENS: Greece on Thursday named its top judge as caretaker prime minister to organise early elections expected next month, the fifth in the crisis-hit country in six years.

President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said he had chosen Vassiliki Thanou, the head of Greece’s Supreme Court and the first woman to assume the post. Mother-of-three Thanou, 65, is known for firing off an emotional letter to European Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker in February, protesting that austerity cuts were “annihilating” the Greek people.

Thanou, who holds a degree in European law from France’s Sorbonne university, will take her oath of office later on Thursday and her administration will be sworn in on Friday. The date for Greece’s general election is to be officially announced by the end of the week, but it is likely to be scheduled for September 20.