Another round for Mitsotakis

On the ballot box: 25 June, 21 May

The party of incumbent Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Nea Dimokratia (ND, centre-right), came out on top in parliamentary elections held on 21 May, with 40.79 percent of the vote. The party won 146 of the 300 parliamentary seats, finishing 20 points ahead of SYRIZA in second place. While they may have lost twelve seats since the previous election, ND have emerged with barely a scratch considering what the polls had suggested, as well as several incidents which dented its reputation in recent years, not least the recent train crash in Larissa.

Mitsotakis now faces the difficult task of forming a government that excludes his left-wing opponents. If he fails, a second vote would have to be called, the winner of which would receive a bonus of fifty seats - enough to ensure an absolute majority for Nea Dimokratia.