Greek General Election Vote Count at 99.59%
Ruling New Democracy Party Secures 40.79% of Votes... Falls Short of Majority
In the Greek general election, the ruling New Democracy party won a landslide victory, raising the possibility of a second election for sole governance, local media reported on the 22nd (local time).
According to reports, with 99.59% of the votes counted from the previous day's Greek general election, the New Democracy party led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis secured 40.79% of the vote, far ahead of the Radical Left Coalition led by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, which received 20.07%.
Although New Democracy maintained first place with the largest vote margin in history, it secured 146 out of 300 total seats, falling short of a majority, making sole governance difficult. The party now faces a choice between forming a coalition government with other parties or aiming for sole governance through a second election.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis is considering a second election. After confirming his victory in the general election the previous day, he delivered a speech in front of the party headquarters in Athens, stating, "(This election result is) a political earthquake," and emphasizing, "A government that believes in reform and can implement it is needed. This cannot come from fragile numbers or uncertain parliamentary relations."
If Prime Minister Mitsotakis relinquishes the right to form a government following the election victory, it will pass to the second party, the Radical Left Coalition. If the Radical Left Coalition fails to form a government, the right will pass to the third party, the Movement for Change. Since the Movement for Change is negative about forming a coalition, the likelihood of Syriza or the Movement for Change successfully forming a government is low. If negotiations fail as such, a caretaker government will be formed, and a second general election will be held.
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