The right easily wins the elections in Greece and secures a new term for the conservative prime minister

Greek Prime Minister and leader of the conservative New Democracy party Kyriakos Mitsotakis gestures as he addresses his party’s supporters during their last pre-election rally ahead of Greece’s scheduled general elections on May 21, with the Acropolis Hill in the background, in Athens

Right-wing party led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, current Prime Minister L GreeceHe handily won Sunday’s legislative elections, the 25-year-old winning an outright majority that would allow him a new term as a prize. The New Democracy (ND) party, which held power from 2019 until the end of May, won 40.5% of the vote, more than double Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing party, which got 17.8%, according to results-based results. On the screening of more than 90% of the electoral bodies. The result would secure 157 of the 300 seats in Greece’s unicameral parliament, according to analysts. In this way, Mitsotakis will return to the post of Prime Minister, which he had to leave at the end of May, before the elections. “The people have given us a strong mandate to move forward with the great changes the country needs,” the politician, 55, celebrated in front of members of his party. “New Democracy is the strongest centre-right party in Europe!” shouted Mitsotakis outside the party headquarters in Athens.

Four years after coming to power, their results have improved compared to 2019, when they received 39.85% of the vote. Eight parties are said to have overcome the 3% barrier to enter parliament, including the far-right Spartis, backed by Ilias Kasidiaris, the former leader of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, who is in prison. Winning Sunday’s election would give the winner a bonus of 50 council deputies (out of a total of 300), which could help Mitsotakis decisively. Mitsotakis, son of a former prime minister and uncle of the current mayor of Athens, did not fail to flaunt his economic balance sheet, which is marked by growth of 8.3% in 2021 and 5.9% in 2022, with a low unemployment rate. During his campaign, Mitsotakis promised to increase wages, especially for those on low incomes, a major concern of Greeks, in the context of the rising cost of living. The conservative leader also promised massive hiring in the public health sector, which has been affected by a serious shortage of resources since the financial crisis and austerity programs imposed on many public services.

* With information from AFP