Greek Election: Right-Wing Party Seeks Second Election for Majority

Greece’s center-right party won yesterday’s general election but failed to claim the majority. Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the New Democracy Party claimed 41 percent of the vote, followed by Alexis Tsipras of the left-wing Syriza party with 20 percent. Nikos Androulakis, of the socialist pasok party, trailed in third with only 12 percent. A party needs 46 percent of the vote to hold a majority in Parliament.

Coalition or second election? Without the majority vote, Mitsotakis has the option of either forming a coalition government with a smaller party or seeking a second election. He indicated that he would pursue the latter option. If he were to enter a coalition, his most viable option is Androulakis, and the two are not on friendly terms.

After the voting on Sunday, Mitsotakis implied he would avoid coalition talks, stating the need for a strong and undivided government.

Without a doubt, the political earthquake that occurred today calls on us all to speed up the process for a definitive government solution so our country can have an experienced hand at its helm as soon as possible.
—Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Not forming a coalition might be risky for Mitsotakis. The Greek Constitution requires Mitsotakis’s rivals have the chance to form a coalition before a fresh election is called. But a fresh election would almost certainly allow Mitsotakis to form a government; in a repeat election, the first party is granted a bonus of up to 50 seats.

Debt history: Between 2008 and 2018, Greece’s alarming sum of sovereign debt was one of the factors that triggered the eurozone debt crisis. In order to avoid a Greek default, the European Union bailed it out with loans to continue making its payments. Greece agreed to austerity measures to cut spending and increased taxes to reduce the budget deficit. It was the largest ever financial rescue of a bankrupt country—and it prompted an economic crisis for Europe.

German interference: Today, Greece’s economic situation does not appear as dire. It has an illusion of stability because of the bailouts—bailouts that made the country dependent on Germany. Its scheduled debt payments stretch beyond 2060. The budget cuts and tax hikes led to a rise in unemployment and poverty. Nearly a quarter of those under 24 are unemployed. Can Mitsotakis fix the economy?

Learn more: Bible prophecy reveals that the EU will pare down to 10 nations, with Germany at the helm. The late theologian Herbert W. Armstrong predicted that the catalyst for the pruning of this alliance could be a banking collapse in the West. The recent bank failures in the United States show how quickly this could happen. What would that mean for Greece, whose economy has been terribly mismanaged in recent years? To learn more about this prophecy, read Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s article “America’s Banking Crisis Will Unite Europe.”