ATHENS: After a most tantalising of victories, having inflicted the heaviest defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece’s centre-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed Monday that he would seek a second national election within weeks to secure the majority he needs to govern alone.
With 99.70 per cent of the votes counted, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party won 40.79 per cent twice the left wing main opposition Syriza’s 20.07 per cent dominating 58 of the country’s 59 constituencies. Socialist Pasok came in third at 11.46 per cent, while turnout was 61 per cent.
President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Monday formally offered Mitsotakis the mandate to try and form a coalition government. But during a brief televised conversation, he told her he would return it within hours as there seemed no prospect of success. Mitsotakis voiced hope a new election could come as early as June 25.
ND’s margin of victory far outstripped pollsters’ forecasts and was the biggest since 1974, when Greece’s first democratic elections were held after the fall of the seven-year military dictatorship.
Athenian Fotis Hatzos said that while he had expected ND’s win, its hammering of the main opposition party took him by surprise.