Foreign
GREEK Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been sworn in for a second term on Monday, and in a televised event told the country’s president.
According to him, he wants to quickly implement additional reforms in his government.
His cabinet appointments is expected be released later in the day.
With 99.6 per cent of the votes counted, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy Party won 40.6 per cent.
This was according to election figures provided by the Interior Ministry.
With 158 parliamentary seats, the prime minister has an absolute majority in the 300-seat parliament, making his party one of the strongest people’s parties in the European Union.
Mitsotakis’ strongest rival, the left-wing Syriza party of former head of government Alexis Tsipras, received 17.8 per cent and now has 48 seats in parliament.
The Social Democrats (PASOK) received 11.9 per cent and 32 seats, while the Communist Party obtained 7.7 per cent and 20 seats.
The far-right Spartiates made it over the 3 per cent hurdle to enter parliament with 4.6 per cent or 12 seats.
The currently imprisoned right-wing extremist Ilias Kasidiaris had a strong influence on Sunday’s Greek parliamentary elections from his jail cell, according to media reports.
Spartiates party leader Vassilis Stigas thanked Kasidiaris during the election evening.
“The support of Ilias Kasidiaris was the fuel for the election result,’’ he told journalists.
Kasidiaris had previously failed several times in court in his bid to stand in the elections himself.
He was part of the leadership cadre of the far-right Golden Dawn party, which was represented in parliament for many years before the entire leadership was convicted.
He was convicted for forming a criminal organisation and other offences.
They have been in prison ever since.
Meanwhile the right-wing Populist Party Elliniki Lisiile garnered 4.5 per cent of the vote for 12 seats, and the ultra-orthodox party Niki received 3.7 per cent and 10 seats.
The radical left-wing party Plefsi Eleftherias got 3.2 per cent of the vote for eight seats, just clear of the 3 per cent threshold. (dpa/NAN)
Tags: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
