The right-wing party of former Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis came out ahead in the general elections on Sunday in Greece, according to the first partial results, which should give it an absolute majority to form a stable government.
New Democracy (ND), in power from 2019 to the end of May, obtained 40.4% of the vote, ahead of the left-wing Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras which obtained 17.8% of the vote, an even lower score. than in the previous elections on May 21, according to these results covering more than 50% of the country’s polling stations.
This election could guarantee the right 157 seats out of the 300 in the unicameral Greek Parliament, according to analysts.
With such a score, Kyriakos Mitsotakis should regain his prime minister’s chair which he had to give up at the end of May, before the second elections were held.
Eight parties should cross the 3% threshold to enter parliament, according to these partial results, including the far-right Spartans party, supported by a former executive of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn formation, Ilias Kassidiaris, who is currently serving a heavy prison sentence.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, head of government from 2019 to the end of May, had won a big victory five weeks ago by winning 40.79% of the vote – twice Syriza.
But this advance had not brought him the absolute majority required to form a government without having to forge an alliance.
The leader of New Democracy (ND) had ruled out building a coalition and called for new elections, counting for that on a voting system which this time grants the party that came out on top a “bonus” of up to 50 seats.
If these estimates are confirmed, Alexis Tsipras would suffer another heavy defeat, after a stinging setback five weeks ago when Syriza fell to 20.07% of the vote, a drop of more than 11.5 points compared to 2019.
The question of his future at the head of the party should now openly arise when already after the defeat of May 21, the former prime minister (2015-2019) and troublemaker of the radical left in Europe had admitted having thought of resigning.
Outside his polling station in Athens on Sunday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greeks were voting “to obtain a stable and effective government” for the next four years.
For his part, Alexis Tsipras warned against an “uncontrolled government” in the event of a broad victory for the right and called for “a balance in our democracy and our political system”, with “a strong opposition” capable of playing its role.
“Choice of reason”
In the Athens district of Pangrati, Aris Manopoulos, a shopkeeper in his fifties, explains that he made the “choice of reason”.
“I voted for New Democracy so that the country moves forward and continues to recover economically,” he confides.
Two potential obstacles could hold Mr. Mitsotakis back.
On the one hand, the possible weariness of the voters, called twice to the polls in five weeks.
On the other hand, the crumbling of the voices, in particular on the right of the conservatives where three small formations dispute the votes of the sympathizers of the extreme right.
However, the number of parties represented will have arithmetic consequences on the number of seats allocated to New Democracy.
Economic report
In recent days, Mr. Mitsotakis had called on the Greeks to grant him a large majority.
By largely turning away from Syriza, the Greeks seem to be showing that they definitely want to turn the page on the years of bitter financial crisis and bailouts with drastic conditions that have considerably impoverished them.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also continued to brandish his economic record, marked by a rebound in growth – to 5.9% in 2022 – and falling unemployment after the last decade of crisis.
During the campaign, this 55-year-old Harvard graduate promised wage increases, especially for the lowest incomes, the main concern of Greeks who suffer from the high cost of living.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to carry out massive hiring in the public health sector, which has suffered from a glaring lack of resources since the financial crisis and the drastic weight loss treatments imposed in many public services.