Devendra Kumar
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s conservative party has won a landslide election, but due to the country’s proportional representation system, he will need to seek a second election to consolidate his victory. Mitsotakis’s party won 40% of the vote, with opposition party Syriza trailing at 20%. Despite his party’s dominance, Mitsotakis does not have enough parliamentary seats to form a government on his own. He has vowed to continue tax cuts, boost investments, and bolster middle-class employment. His popularity took a hit recently after a rail disaster and a surveillance scandal.
Mitsotakis has worked to deliver unexpected high growth, a steep drop in unemployment, and has paid off debts to the International Monetary Fund early. European governments and the IMF pumped 280 billion euros into the Greek economy between 2010 and 2018 to prevent bankruptcy. However, the country’s economy shrunk by a quarter in return for punishing cost-cutting measures and reforms. The new election is likely to take place in late June or early July, with a new electoral law that gives bonus seats to the winning party, making it easier for Mitsotakis to form a government on his own.
Syriza supporters expressed dismay at the election results, with one supporter saying, “People who understand their position, the poverty and the misery that they have been put into, and still vote for them, they deserve what they get.” Syriza’s leader, Alexis Tsipras, has struggled to regain the wide support he enjoyed when he was first elected in 2015 on a promise to reverse austerity measures imposed by international lenders.
Mitsotakis has promised to continue to work hard to earn the trust of the Greek people, saying, “I will follow all constitutional procedures, but maintaining my firm view that the mathematics of proportional representation is akin to party horse-trading and results in a dead-end.” He has also vowed to address the country’s economic challenges, including poverty and unemployment.