Pro-reform Mitsotakis wins second term in Greek election that sees surge by small far-right parties

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis received the mandate to form a new government Monday after easily winning a second term with a record-high margin over the left-wing opposition, in an election that also ushered new far-right parties into Parliament.

With 99.67% of the vote counted, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party had 40.55% of the vote – more than twice the main opposition Syriza’s 17.84%. It was the largest margin of victory seen in half a century and slightly expanded ND’s 20-percentage-point lead in a previous election five weeks before.

Mitsotakis, 55, was formally handed the mandate to govern by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. He was due to be sworn in as prime minister shortly later and name his new cabinet that’s to assume its duties on Tuesday.

“My aim was to secure a stable government with a parliamentary majority. Unfortunately, two elections were needed for that,” he said in a televised meeting with Sakellaropoulou, who as head of state holds a mainly ceremonial role.

“I have committed to implement major, deeply-needed reforms over the next four years, (and) have a strong mandate to do that,” he said.

Mitsotakis spoke with Sakellaropoulou about the “surprise” entry of marginal parties, which brings the number represented in Parliament from five to eight, but added: “I think our democracy is mature enough to handle whatever temporary turbulence (ensues).”

Held under a new electoral law that boosts the first party, Sunday’s vote gave ND a comfortable majority of 158 seats in the 300-member Parliament, with Syriza getting 48. The May election had failed to provide Mitsotakis with a majority due to the one-off electoral system then in force, which prompted him to force the new vote.

Center-left PASOK elected 32 lawmakers and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party 20.

The remaining 42 seats will be shared between three far-right parties – including a traditionalist Christian-Orthdox-centered party and one endorsed by a jailed former leader of the defunct, Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party – and one representing the far-left.

Athenian Chrysanthi Tzetzenekou said the extreme right’s parliamentary entry “made us worry.” He added that he thinks it will go well, “of course, everyone’s opinion is respected. Let’s hope for a balance.

Voter turnout was just under 53%, compared to just over 61% in the May vote.

Mitsotakis campaigned on a platform of securing economic growth and political stability as Greece gradually recovers from a nearly decade-long financial crisis.

Greek government bonds are still rated below investment grade as a result of the crisis, although that’s widely expected to change this year amid the booming economy and the prospect of stable government for the next four years.

A substantial upgrade by international rating agencies would provide a formal seal of financial respectability, allow a greater influx of foreign investment and lower government and business borrowing costs.

Mitsotakis faces a series of challenges ahead. He must maintain the economic rebound amid a cost of living crisis triggered mainly by the war in Ukraine, and improve relations with neighboring Turkey which nosedived in 2020 due to disputes over offshore gas drilling rights, but had stabilized in recent months.

In comments late Sunday, Mitsotakis pledged to use his second four-year term to “transform Greece, with a dynamic economic growth rate that will increase salaries and reduce inequality, with better and free public health care, a more effective and digital state and a strong country.”

“I will always seek to achieve a broader consensus,” he added. “But the people granted us a secure majority. Therefore, the major reforms will proceed fast, as per the people’s demands.”

ND won in all but one of the country’s 59 electoral regions, capturing traditional Socialist and left-wing strongholds, some for the first time.

Mitsotakis’ main rival, 48-year-old Alexis Tsipras, served as prime minister from 2015 to 2019 during some of the most turbulent years of Greece’s financial crisis. Tsipras first came to power pledging an end to painful spending cuts imposed by international bailout creditors but abruptly switched course to sign up for a new round of rescue loans accompanied by further austerity.

Despite Syriza’s dismal performance on Sunday, Tsipras has shown no inclination to resign, and there have been no open calls from within his party for him to do so. Tsipras said Syriza would move on to focus on next year’s European parliamentary elections.

Mitsotakis, a Harvard graduate, comes from one of Greece’s most prominent political families. His late father, Constantine Mitsotakis, served as prime minister in the 1990s, his sister served as foreign minister and his nephew is the current mayor of Athens.

Despite scandals that hit the Mitsotakis government late in its first term, including revelations of wiretapping targeting senior politicians and journalists and a deadly Feb. 28 train crash that exposed poor safety measures in public transport, voters returned to power a prime minister who delivered economic growth and lowered unemployment.

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Associated Press writer Theodora Tongas in Athens contributed to this report.