According to the partial results, the party of the former prime minister was ahead in the polls this Sunday, June 25th. This should secure him an absolute majority to form a “stable government”.
The Greek left is sinking. Nea Dimokratia (ND), which ruled from 2019 to the end of May, won the general election with 40.4% of the vote, ahead of Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing Syriza party, which got 17.8% of the vote, according to partial results 30% of the polling stations. According to these polls, eight parties have passed the three percent hurdle to enter the 300-seat Greek unicameral parliament. Among them, the far-right Spartans party, supported by a former executive director of the neo-Nazi group Golden Dawn, Ilias Kassidiaris, who is currently serving a heavy prison sentence.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomes his victory, which gives him “a strong mandate”. As head of government from 2019 to the end of May, he had won a major victory five weeks ago with 40.79% of the vote. Syriza’s double. But this push had not given him the absolute majority that would be required to form a government without forming an alliance. The ND leader had ruled out forming a coalition and called for new elections, relying on an electoral system that this time gives the winning party a “bonus” of up to 50 seats. According to analysts, this election could actually guarantee 157 of the 300 seats in Greece’s unicameral parliament.
With that, Alexis Tsipras suffers another heavy defeat after Syriza suffered a severe setback five weeks ago, falling to 20.07% of the vote, down more than 11.5 points compared to 2019. The question of his future at the head of the party should now be open when, after the defeat on May 21, the former prime minister (2015-2019) and troublemaker of the radical left in Europe admitted to having considered resigning.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his polling station in Athens on Sunday that Greeks would vote for “a stable and effective government” for the next four years. For his part, Alexis Tsipras warned of “runaway government” in the event of a major right-wing victory and called for “a balance in our democracy and political system” with “a strong opposition” able to play its part.
Two potential obstacles could emerge for Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On the one hand, the possible fatigue of voters who have called for elections twice in five weeks. On the other hand, votes are crumbling, particularly on the conservative right, where three small formations are contesting the votes of far-right sympathizers and nationalists. However, the number of parties represented will have mathematical consequences for the number of seats allotted to the New Democracy. On Friday, he even raised the specter of a third round of voting in August, when most Greeks are on holiday.
In recent days he has urged the Greeks to grant him a large majority. Indeed, with the widespread departure from Syriza, the Greeks have shown an eagerness to move on from years of bitter financial crisis and bailouts under drastic conditions that have left them severely impoverished.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also continued to improve its economic record, marked by a rebound in growth to 5.9% in 2022 and a drop in unemployment after the last decade of the crisis. During the election campaign, the 55-year-old Harvard graduate pledged wage increases, especially for the lowest earners, the main concern of Greeks struggling with the high cost of living.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to massively hire staff in the public health sector, which has been suffering from a blatant lack of resources since the financial crisis and drastic diets imposed in many public services.