Greece's center-right in landslide election victory, but will need new vote to form government
Despite inflicting the most crushing defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece’s center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to seek a second election within weeks, as he lacks the majority in Parliament to govern alone
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It was the most tantalizing of victories. Despite inflicting the most crushing defeat in half a century on the opposition, Greece's center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected Monday to seek a second national election within weeks, as he lacks the majority in Parliament to govern alone.
With 99.55% of the votes counted early Monday, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party won 40.79% — twice the leftwing main opposition Syriza's 20.07%. Socialist Pasok came in third at 11.46%.
The margin far outstripped pollsters' forecasts and was the biggest since 1974, when Greece's first democratic elections were held after the fall of the seven-year military dictatorship.
But the one-off proportional representation system in effect Sunday means ND only gains 146 of Parliament's 300 seats, five short of a governing majority. The new elections, expected in late June or early July, will revert to the previous system that grants the first party a bonus of up to 50 seats. That would ensure Mitsotakis a comfortable majority for a second term in power.
