The leader of the Greek conservative New Democracy (ND) party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, claimed victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, considering that they give him “a strong mandate” to “transform” the country.
The former prime minister, who will return to power victoriously, promised “big changes” in the country, ranging from “increased wages” to “a more efficient state.”
According to partial results, from more than 90% of the constituencies, ND obtained 40.5% of the votes against 17.8% for the left-wing party Syriza, headed by Alexis Tsipras.
If the results hold up, Mitsotakis will be re-elected Prime Minister of Greece and will be able to rule alone again, as he has done for the past four years.
Winning by a wide margin in the May 21 election but without a majority in the 300-seat parliament, the Conservative leader now needs just 39% to win an outright majority, thanks to a bonus of up to 50 seats for the winning party in the elections.
This rule had been eliminated in the last elections, which ended up making all attempts to form a government fail.
Greece today held the second general elections in the space of a month, marked by the issue of migration after the recent shipwreck in the Ionian Sea, but also by unemployment and the trade deficit.
The shipwreck was one of the most tragic migratory disasters in the Mediterranean, with barely a hundred survivors after the capsizing of a boat carrying some 750 people, and generated a climate of high tension between the two main candidates for victory in the elections next Sunday.
The electoral campaign was also dominated by unemployment, which is already at 12%, and a trade deficit that continues to worry Greeks, who still remember well the effects of foreign financial intervention after the 2008 crisis.
Appearing before voters, Mitsotakis vowed to finalize the reforms implemented by his government to keep the Greek economy growing, saying it is essential for the country to move closer to Europe in terms of wages and living standards.
Tsipras defends an economy “that works for everyone” and – after the defeat of his party in May, when he lost a third of his electorate compared to 2019 – now calls for the vote for Syriza to remain a “strong opposition party”.
Reasons were not lacking to criticize Tsipras during the electoral campaign, pointing out the inability of the Government to face the accumulated trade deficit and the increase in unemployment, especially among the youngest.
Source: TSF
