Greek conservatives win big but fall short of parliamentary majority

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

(Image credit: Nick Paleologos/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

published 22 May 2023

The center-right New Democracy party of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis notched a landslide victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections but fell five or six seats short of an outright majority in Greece's 300-seat parliament. New Democracy won a larger-than-expected 41 percent of the vote, according to near-complete returns, while the main opposition center-left Syriza party underperformed with about 20 percent.

Mitsotakis called Sunday's election a "political earthquake" and suggested he will seek an outright governing majority in a second election in late June or early July, under more favorable electoral rules for his party. Syriza's Alexis Tsipras, whom Mitsotakis defeated in 2019, called the results "exceptionally negative for Syriza," adding. "Fights have winners and losers."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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