The World Briefly

June 27, 2023

The Comeback Kid

Greece

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in Monday, a day after his center-right New Democracy party won a resounding victory in Greece’s repeat parliamentary elections, Reuters reported.

Results showed that New Democracy secured a majority by receiving 158 of 300 parliamentary seats, while the leftist opposition Syriza party only gained 48 seats.

The victory marks a return for Mitsotakis, who became the country’s prime minister in 2019 until stepping down in favor of a caretaker role following an inconclusive vote last month.

The polls were overshadowed by ongoing economic hardship and rising prices, as well as a deadly rail incident that exposed shortcomings in Greece’s public transport system.

Mitsotakis vowed to push ahead with his reforms to rebuild the country’s credit rating following the debt crisis more than a decade ago, boost Greece’s tourism industry and increase wages to become close to the European Union average.

Political analysts noted that Sunday’s election was a major blow for Syriza, which had previously governed Greece from 2015-2019, at the height of the decade-long economic crisis.

Others also noted a surge for the far right after three parties, including the anti-immigrant “Spartans,” entered parliament with a combined 35 seats, according to the Associated Press.

This story originally appeared in the June 27, 2023 newsletter, Pugachevshchina.