by Sarantis Michalopoulos
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has warned that the country will hold a third round of elections if an absolute majority to form a single-party government is not reached in the second round on 25 June.
Greek ruling New Democracy party (EPP) triumphed in the first round of the elections on 21 May. Still, it fell short of getting an absolute majority that would pave the way for a single-party government.
A second round is scheduled for 25 June, and although his centre-right party leads all polls, the absolute majority may be missed again.
“I have categorically ruled out any partnership with parties and factions to the right of the New Democracy, such a scenario [lack of absolute majority] would lead us to elections in August […] let’s not kid ourselves”, Mitsotakis told public TV broadcaster ERT news in an interview.
In the first round, five parties managed to pass the 3% threshold. The more parties enter the parliament, the more difficult it will be for Mitsotakis to form a single-party government.
For its part, the main opposition Syriza party, is trying to recover from the heavy electoral defeat saying that voters should not give New Democracy “superpowers” but instead vote for the left as a “bulwark” in the advance of “neoliberal policies”.
“It is not enough for them to win the elections; they want to have the omnipotence to be able to change the constitution by themselves to privatise even water, to leave nothing under public control”, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
