Greek Conservatives Win Election With Clear Shift To The Right: AfD Delivers Its First District Administrator In Germany

She won Sunday’s general election comfortably with 40.6 percent of the vote – nearly the same result as the previous vote in May. The largest opposition party, the left-wing Syriza under Alexis Tsipras, came out with 17.8 percent. Tsipras announced on election night that he wanted to take on the party base – for him it was the fifth election defeat in a row since 2019.

Because the strongest party will receive at least 20 extra seats in the 300-member parliament in these elections, the Conservatives can form the future government with a majority of around 160 seats, according to electoral law. The election is the second vote in five weeks: after the Conservatives had been in office for four years since 2019, parliamentary elections were already held in Greece in May. However, there was no coalition and therefore no government, so new elections had to be held.

“Today we celebrate, but tomorrow we roll up our sleeves,” Mitsotakis promised party supporters in Athens on Sunday evening. With this election result, his Nea Dimokratia is the strongest people’s party in Europe. “It’s a big mandate to do whatever it takes,” he said. Mitsotakis listed three of his main concerns: he wanted more growth, which would lead to higher wages. In addition, as announced during the election campaign, he will turn the ailing health system upside down. And he continues to work on the modernization and digitalization of the state.

Tsipras awaits less beautiful tasks. After the sobering result of 17.8 percent (in May: 20 percent), the left-wing Syriza party will probably come to terms with the process and probably a reorientation. “We suffered a heavy electoral defeat,” Tsipras admitted. Now party members are being asked to evaluate the work of top management. “It goes without saying that I am the first to face the verdict of the members,” said Tsipras. Whether that means he’s ready to step down remains to be seen.

Some have already called for his departure after the heavy electoral defeat in May, when Syriza lost more than 11 percentage points compared to the 2019 election. However, Syriza has not yet developed a possible successor to Tsipras.

The nationalist Spartiaten (Spartans) party achieved surprising success in the elections – the right-wing radicals made it to parliament out of nowhere with 4.7 percent. They are considered the political arm of the de facto disbanded Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn) party. Their leadership has been in Greek prisons for years – the leaders were convicted, among other things, of forming a criminal organization.

The Social Democratic Pasok with 11.9 percent (May: 11.5 percent), the Greek Communist Party KKE with 7.7 percent (May: 7.2 percent), the right-wing populist party Elliniki Lisi with 4.5 percent (May : also 4.5 percent) and the ultra-Orthodox party Niki with 3.7 percent (May: 2.9 percent). (sda/dpa)