Greece’s conservative New Democratic Party (ND) won on Sunday Parliamentary ElectionsIt was called to break the political deadlock caused by an election last month.
With 95% of the votes counted, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party came out on top with 40.5% of the vote.
“The people have given us a secure majority. Key reforms will proceed quickly,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address on Sunday night.
Addressing a cheering crowd outside his party headquarters, the 55-year-old former McKinsey consultant promised solid growth that would lead to higher wages.
Mitsotakis’s party is set to win around 157 of the 300 seats in parliament, thanks to a repeat election law that gives the winning party 50 bonus seats.
In the elections held in May, Mitsotakis’s party won a landslide victory among individual parties But it fell just five seats short of an absolute majority in Parliament.
Instead of seeking to form a coalition government, Mitsotakis called for another referendum, hoping that if a second election were needed, Greece’s rules would improve his chances of an outright victory, given how close he came in the first attempt.
How was the position of the opposition parties?
About 9.8 million Greek Voters from 32 political parties were eligible to vote on Sunday.
The Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) received around 18% of the vote – worse than the result of the previous election in May.
“We have suffered a heavy electoral defeat,” party leader Alex Tsipras said.
“It goes without saying that I will face the judgment of the party members first.”
The center-left Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) received almost 13% of the vote, while the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) received more than 7% and the ultra-nationalist Spartans received around 5%.
The left-wing party MeRA25, founded by former SYRIZA finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, did not pass the 3% threshold needed to enter parliament.
Expected result
ADMK, the election was held the day before yesterday Migrant shipwreck on June 14 It is feared that hundreds may have died.
Pre-election polls had suggested strong chances of victory for conservative Mitsotakis, who will be Greece’s prime minister from 2019.
He attributed a strong economy under his leadership and most analysts attribute ND’s strong position to the country’s gradual recovery from a nearly decade-long financial crisis.
Mitsotakis’ first term was marked by a return to economic growth and a drop in unemployment rates in Greece.
SYRIZA was expected to get the second highest number of votes, but is still far behind the ruling party.
Tsipras criticized Mitsotakis The wiretapping scandal and on migration.
His party’s support evaporated in 2019 after Syriza led Greece through the most turbulent years of its debt crisis.
zc, mf, msh/dj (dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP)
