Greece’s conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party won a decisive victory in the general election on Sunday, but fell short of the majority needed to form a one-party government. This sets the stage for a second vote in weeks, as Mitsotakis appears to rule out talks to form a coalition. With 93.7 percent of the votes counted, New Democracy had captured 40.8 percent of the votes, while the opposition Syriza party, led by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, landed in second place with 20.7 percent.
Mitsotakis described the preliminary outcome as a “political earthquake” and said that any negotiations with potential coalition partners would only lead to a dead end. He pointed to his government’s success in increasing growth, attracting investment and bolstering the country’s defenses. Tsipras had campaigned for change, highlighting a perceived abuse of power by the current administration and drawing attention to the rising cost of living.
The absence of an outright winner had been expected, since the election was conducted under a system of simple proportional representation. Any second vote would be held under a different system, which grants bonus seats to the winning party, giving New Democracy a better chance of forming an independent government.