Tsipras made the announcement at a parliamentary meeting.
"I think that today we need a president with highly ethical qualities," Tsipras said before nominating Pavlopoulos.
The prime minister admitted that the party wanted to nominate a candidate from the left, but then chose the center-right politician. He added that a broad consensus is needed in the country to overcome existing difficulties.
The 64-year-old politician was a member of the New Democracy party and served as Greek Interior Minister from 2007-2009.
The Greek parliament has failed to elect a new president three times. The last attempt was made on December 29, 2014 and in line with the Greek Constitution, a general election was held in the country within a month of the failed vote.
On January 25, the left-wing Syriza party that promised to revise Greece's austerity measures, won snap parliamentary elections.
