The right-wing party of former Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis came out ahead in Sunday’s legislative elections in Greece, according to exit polls, which should give it an absolute majority to form “a stable government”. .
New Democracy (ND), in power from 2019 to the end of May, would win between 40% and 44% of the vote ahead of the left-wing Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras which would obtain between 16.1% and 19.1% of the vote. , according to polls published at the close of the polls by television channels. Five to nine parties would have crossed the 3% threshold to enter the unicameral Greek Parliament which has 300 seats, according to these polls.
First partial results should be published in the next two hours, around 7:30 p.m. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, head of government from 2019 to the end of May, had won a big victory five weeks ago by winning 40.79% of the vote. Syriza’s double.
Towards a heavy defeat for Alexis Tsipras
But this advance had not brought him the absolute majority required to form a government without having to forge an alliance. The leader of New Democracy (ND) had ruled out building a coalition and called for new elections, counting for that on a voting system which this time grants the party that came out on top a “bonus” of up to 50 seats.
If these estimates are confirmed, Alexis Tsipras would suffer another heavy defeat after a stinging setback five weeks ago when Syriza fell to 20.07% of the vote, a drop of more than 11.5 points compared to 2019. question of his future at the head of the party should now be openly asked, especially since after the defeat of May 21, the former Prime Minister (2015-2019) and troublemaker of the radical left in Europe had admitted to having thought of resign.
Outside his polling station in Athens on Sunday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greeks were voting “to obtain a stable and effective government” for the next four years. For his part, Alexis Tsipras warned against an “uncontrolled government” in the event of a broad victory for the right and called for “a balance in our democracy and our political system” with “a strong opposition” capable of playing its role.
Choice of reason
In the Athens district of Pangrati, Aris Manopoulos, a shopkeeper in his fifties, explains that he made the “choice of reason”. “I voted for New Democracy so that the country moves forward and continues to recover economically,” he confides. Two potential hurdles could present themselves to Mr. Mitsotakis. On the one hand, the possible weariness of the voters, called twice to the polls in five weeks.
On the other hand, the crumbling of the voices, in particular on the right of the conservatives where three small formations dispute the votes of the sympathizers of the extreme right and the nationalists. However, the number of parties represented will have arithmetic consequences on the number of seats allocated to New Democracy. On Friday, he even raised the specter… of a third ballot in August, when most Greeks take their holidays.
Economic report
In recent days, he has called on the Greeks to grant him a large majority. By largely turning away from Syriza, the Greeks have indeed shown that they definitely want to turn the page on the years of bitter financial crisis and bailouts under drastic conditions which have considerably impoverished them. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also continued to brandish his economic record, marked by a rebound in growth, to 5.9% in 2022, and falling unemployment after the last decade of the crisis.
During the campaign, this 55-year-old Harvard graduate promised wage increases, especially for the lowest incomes, the main concern of Greeks who suffer from the high cost of living. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to carry out massive hiring in the public health sector, which has suffered from a glaring lack of resources since the financial crisis and the drastic slimming treatments imposed in many public services.