Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy Party have emerged as the winners of the country’s recent election, according to preliminary results. The conservative party held a 20-point lead over its nearest rival, Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza Party, with 40.9% of the vote, compared to Syriza’s 20.1%. However, despite the landslide victory, Mitsotakis and his party fell short of securing an outright majority.
With more than half the ballots counted, Mitsotakis now faces the decision of engaging in tough negotiations with his opponents to form a coalition government or calling for new elections. Reactions from prominent members of the New Democracy Party suggest that a new vote is highly likely. Takis Theodorikakos, a minister and senior official in Mitsotakis’s party, indicated that the conservatives could muster enough support in a second election to continue implementing reforms as an autonomous government.
The result is a significant blow to Tsipras, who has now lost his fourth consecutive election battle against Mitsotakis. Tsipras served as prime minister from 2015 to 2019 and navigated difficult negotiations with creditors, which almost led to Greece’s exit from the euro. In some areas, Tsipras is even lagging behind third-placed Socialist Party Pasok-Kinal, led by Nikos Androlakis, with preliminary results showing Pasok at 12.6% nationwide.
The recent train crash that claimed 57 lives in February appeared to have little impact on the vote, contrary to common predictions. Though many people expressed disappointment with the results, retiree Glyceria Zima expressed satisfaction, noting the continuity of progress made in the past four years. Georgios Koulouris, a miner living in Australia who returned to vote, highlighted deep-seated challenges and inequalities in Greece. These challenges, including fixed wages and high rents, contribute to the brain drain phenomenon.
Despite the challenges facing Greece, Mitsotakis and his party are keen on continuing to implement reforms as an autonomous government. However, if Mitsotakis fails to form a coalition government, the country may face new elections, possibly as early as July.