Greece’s general elections will occur on on May 21, a few weeks before Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s term in office officially ends in early July.
“I can tell you for sure that the elections will be held in May,” Mitsotakis said late Tuesday in an interview with Alpha TV, according to a transcript sent by his office.
Holding the vote in July wouldn’t work because it’s very likely that a second ballot may be needed, he said.
The decision follows the country’s worst-ever train crash three weeks ago that left 57 people dead. Mitsotakis has previously only said that the elections would occur in the spring. A reported plan to hold a snap ballot on April 9 has already been cancelled due to the deadly crash.
Mitsotakis, the 55-year-old son of the late former prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis, has remained popular throughout his four-year term. But more recently his reputation has been dented by allegations of wiretapping by state security services, as well as the government’s failure to protect rail network safety.
The election is unlikely to produce a new government.
