The construction site is huge. The day after his victory by an absolute majority won by the right in the legislative elections, the Greek conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis begins, this Monday, June 26, his second term as Prime Minister with the promise of accelerating reforms to transform Greece.
The leader of New Democracy (ND), who had to give up his chair as Prime Minister for a few weeks, must be sworn in at midday for a second four-year term before forming his new government. On Sunday, his party won 40.56% of the vote after the second ballot in five weeks. He thus won the absolute majority he wanted to govern without having to form an alliance with another party. In the new parliament, she will have 158 seats out of 300.
A rise in wages
In front of his jubilant troops in Athens on Sunday evening, the 55-year-old leader assured that he had a “strong mandate” which will allow him to accelerate “the big changes” that Greece needs. “Major reforms will move forward quickly,” he insisted, saying he had “ambitious” goals for his next four years.
Wage increases, hiring of medical personnel and doctors in public hospitals with chronic deficits, the fight against inequalities, the projects of the next head of government will be numerous.
Because if the Greek economy has recovered during the first mandate of the right thanks in particular to a surge in tourism, the Greeks continue to suffer from the high cost of living and low wages.
And with this large victory, the former Harvard student, from a long line of political leaders, can now claim a major role within the European right led by the German Manfred Weber, boss of the European People’s Party ( PPE), of which he is close.
“New Democracy is the strongest center-right party in Europe!”, He also assured Sunday evening in front of his jubilant troops at his party’s headquarters in Athens. He should meet his European partners on Thursday at the summit of EU leaders in Brussels.
The Greeks want to turn the page on “Syriza”
Facing him, the left-wing opposition embodied by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (2015-2019) suffered a new debacle by not even managing to maintain its score of 20% recorded on May 21. Syriza won only 17.83% of the vote and will only have 47 deputies in the new chamber.
The Greeks, by inflicting such a snub on the former party of the radical left, definitely wanted to turn the page on the years of bitter financial crisis and bailouts under drastic conditions which have considerably impoverished them.
With a serious face, a downcast look, Alexis Tsipras, who in 2015 embodied the hopes of the radical left in Europe, did not hide his disappointment.
“It was an uphill battle […] the result is obviously negative for us”, admitted the pugnacious forty-year-old. He acknowledged that “a great historical cycle has ended” for his party and augured for the next elections within Syriza. For many analysts, his days at the head of Syriza now appear numbered.After the stinging setback of May 21, he admitted to having considered resigning.
Three nationalist parties enter Parliament
Ten days after the deadly sinking of a boat overloaded with migrants off the coast of Greece which undoubtedly caused hundreds of deaths, three small nationalist and anti-migration parties have also entered parliament. Between them they won nearly 13% of the vote.
Among them, the “Spartans” surprised with 4.68% of the vote.
This party is supported by a former senior figure in the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, Ilias Kassidiaris, who is currently serving a long prison sentence and had been prevented by the Supreme Court from standing for election.