New Democracy (ND), the conservative party of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won the legislative elections on Sunday May 21, according to partial results, but it could have difficulty forming a stable government, for lack of an absolute majority . In power for four years, ND won 41.1% of the vote, well ahead of the left-wing Syriza party of former head of government Alexis Tsipras, which won 20% of the vote, according to results covering 30% of offices. of voting. The Socialists of Pasok-Movement for Change come third, with 12.6% of the vote.
If confirmed, these results do not allow the right to have an absolute majority. The outgoing head of government, who is seeking a new four-year term, has ruled out forming a coalition. For his part, Mr. Tsipras made appeals to the leader of the Pasok-Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, for an alliance, but the latter made demands. If it is impossible to form a government in the next two weeks, which many analysts predict, a new election will have to be called and should be held at the end of June or the beginning of July. The winner of this second ballot would then benefit from a bonus of up to 50 seats, likely to give him a stable majority.
During his election campaign, the head of the conservative government, a Harvard graduate and son of a former prime minister, never ceased to assert his economic record. On Sunday, after voting in Athens, he assured that he wanted to make Greece “a stronger country with an important role in Europe”. “We are voting for our future, for more jobs and better jobs, for a more efficient health system”he also promised, accompanied by two of his three adult children.
A public debt of more than 170% of GDP
Falling unemployment, growth of almost 6% last year, return of investments and surge in tourism… The economy has picked up again after years of acute crisis and European rescue plans. His opponent, who in 2015 embodied the hopes of the radical left in Europe, had wanted to see in these elections “a day of hope” For “turning the page on four difficult years” with a government “arrogant and uninterested in the majority”.
The decline in purchasing power and the difficulties of making ends meet remain the main concerns of a population that has made painful sacrifices over the past ten years. Many Greeks have to make do with low wages and have lost faith in drastically reduced public services after drastic weight loss treatments. The country is still burdened by a public debt of more than 170% of its GDP and inflation approached 10% last year, further aggravating the difficulties of the population.
At the end of February, the train disaster that killed 57 people awoke the anger that has been eating away at Greece since the crisis and gave rise to demonstrations against the government, accused of negligence. The critics of Mr. Mitsotakis accuse him of an authoritarian drift. His mandate has been peppered with scandals, from illegal wiretapping to the refoulement of migrants, to police violence.
In March, the European Parliament denounced “serious threats to the rule of law and fundamental rights”, according to Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld. Greece is also regularly accused of turning back migrants to Turkey. Friday, the New York Times released a video attesting to such illegal practices, which Athens vehemently denies.