Greece’s ‘earthquake’ of an election: a right-wing triumph

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis led his New Democracy party to victory on 21 May

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis waves at crowds of supporters after elections in Greece on 21 May
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party are seeking an outright majority at further election on 25 June
(Image credit: Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images)

Not long ago, Greece was Europe’s “economic and political problem child”, said Alan Posener in Die Welt (Berlin). The 2010 debt crisis had led to a 25% contraction in its economy – unemployment had hit 27%; people were rioting in the streets – and as a condition of receiving the massive bailouts required, the government was forced to impose strict austerity measures.

But now, after years of economic pain, Greece is finally putting those dark days behind it. Its economy grew at the seventh-fastest rate of any in the EU in 2022; unemployment has plummeted. And Greece’s centre-right PM, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is reaping the rewards, said Kathimerini (Athens). Last week, his New Democracy party trounced its rivals to emerge as the largest in parliament. Describing the result as an “earthquake”, Mitsotakis has called for new elections on 25 June in search of an outright majority.

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