Greece’s New Democracy Party Claims Victory in Parliamentary Election to Break Political Deadlock

Greece’s conservative New Democracy party (ND) has claimed victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election, which was called to break a political deadlock caused by an election last month. With 95% of the ballots counted, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party came out on top with 40.5% of the vote. Mitsotakis addressed the nation in a televised speech, stating that the people have given them a safe majority and major reforms will proceed rapidly. He promised robust growth that would lead to wage increases. New Democracy is set to hold around 157 out of the 300 seats in parliament, thanks to a law for repeat elections that grants the winning party 50 bonus seats.

In the previous elections held in May, New Democracy had a landslide victory among individual parties but fell just five seats short of being able to form a single-party majority in parliament. Instead of seeking to set up a coalition government, Mitsotakis chose to call for another vote, confident that Greece’s rules for a second election would improve his chances of outright victory.

The opposition parties did not fare as well in the election. The Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) gained around 18% of the vote, worse than their result in the previous election. Party leader Alex Tsipras admitted to suffering a heavy electoral defeat and stated that he would face the judgment of the party members. The center-left Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) received almost 13% of the vote, while the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) received more than 7% and the ultra-nationalist Spartans party had around 5% of the vote. Left-wing party MeRA25, founded by former Syriza Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, did not pass the 3% threshold required to enter parliament.

The election took place shortly after a migrant shipwreck on June 14, in which hundreds of people are feared to have died. Pre-election polls had indicated strong prospects of victory for Mitsotakis, who has been Greece’s prime minister since 2019. His leadership has been associated with a strong economy and the country’s gradual recovery from its financial crisis. Mitsotakis’ first term was marked by a return to economic growth and falling unemployment rates in Greece.

Syriza was expected to receive the second-highest share of votes but still lagged far behind New Democracy. Tsipras has been critical of Mitsotakis over a wiretapping scandal and migration issues. Syriza’s support dwindled in 2019 after leading Greece through turbulent years of its debt crisis.

How will the significant advantage of New Democracy in parliament affect the implementation of their policy agenda

Greece’s conservative New Democracy party (ND) has emerged as the winner in Sunday’s parliamentary election, marking a victory for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ party. The election was held to resolve the political deadlock caused by the previous election last month. With 95% of the votes counted, New Democracy secured 40.5% of the vote, giving them a safe majority in parliament.

In a televised address to the nation, Mitsotakis expressed gratitude to the people for their support and emphasized that major reforms would now be expedited. He pledged to prioritize robust economic growth, which he believed would result in wage increases for the citizens.

Thanks to a law allowing for repeat elections, New Democracy is set to hold approximately 157 out of the 300 seats in parliament. This outcome grants them a significant advantage and the ability to implement their policy agenda without facing substantial opposition.