Kyriakos Mitsotakis Secures Resounding Victory, Pledges Swift Reforms
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Raven Ruma
- . June 26, 2023
- . Update: June 26, 2023 7:27 pm
In the second election held within a month, the leader of the conservative party in Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won, securing his position as head of state. Mitsotakis, the president of the New Democracy party (ND), won 40.5% of the popular vote, approximately 23 points more than his centre-left competitor Alexis Tsipras of the Syriza party. This result gave him a substantial mandate. Mitsotakis has credited his victory to his party’s dedication to monetary stability, reduced taxes, enhanced public health, and improved public education. The Greek conservative leader hopes to speed up changes and keep leading the nation towards transformation with this mandate from the electorate.
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Economic Stewardship and Stability
After three foreign bailouts, a catastrophic financial crisis, and adequate stabilisation of the Greek economy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been credited with recovering the country’s economy. Even though some Greeks are experiencing a problem related to the expense of living, voters choose to reelect the New Democracy party after being seduced by promises of lower taxes and better public health care. The electorate was moved by Mitsotakis’ success in guiding Greece towards economic stability, which helped him win with a resounding victory.
An Overwhelming Mandate for Reform
New Democracy has become the most potent centre-right party in Europe, Mitsotakis proclaimed to his euphoric supporters in Athens, underscoring the significance of his party’s triumph. Mitsotakis feels empowered to enact reforms quickly after securing a safe majority in the parliament. He avoided making any miraculous promises but restated his party’s bold plans to reform Greece by enhancing the public health and education systems.
Second Election Boosts Mitsotakis’ Majority
After the elections in May, New Democracy came close to winning a majority in the legislature. The most recent result supports Mitsotakis’s intention to call for a second election to establish a stable, one-party administration. Greek law stipulates that the winning party receives a bonus of 20 to 50 seats in a second election. New Democracy won the maximum bonus of 50 seats with more than 40% of the vote. The Mitsotakis reform plan will be easier to implement with this enhanced majority.
Shifting Political Landscape and Rise of Hard-Right Parties
Even though Mitsotakis won, the election highlighted how divided the left-wing vote is. The Syriza party of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was soundly defeated, falling further behind in the second election with fewer than 18% of the vote. Ilias Kasidiaris’ Spartans, a newly formed far-right party, emerged during the election. Three hard-right parties received almost 13% of the vote and 34 seats after the Spartans exceeded the 3% electoral barrier. This change in the political climate demonstrates how Greek people have changed and now favour stricter, more conservative policies, especially regarding immigration issues.
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The overwhelming victory in the second election held within a month for Kyriakos Mitsotakis has solidified his position as Greece’s president. Mitsotakis has effectively won the support of voters who trust his party’s promises of lower taxes and improved public health services by emphasizing economic stability and prosperity.
Mitsotakis is determined to promptly enact significant reforms, focusing on the public health system and educational system, with the help of a reinforced majority in the parliament. The election highlighted the development of hard-right parties, the changing political climate, and the public’s rising preference for conservative ideas, particularly regarding immigration.
