Following a landslide victory in national elections on Sunday, New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has officially earned Greece’s title of prime minister.
Mitsotakis and his center-right party won 39.8% of the vote and 158 seats in the country’s 300-member parliament. Incumbent Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his leftwing party Syriza won 31.5% of the vote and 86 seats.
Exhausted by years of austerity and disappointed by the government’s bowing to its northern neighbor over a name-change dispute, Greeks sent a powerful message to Tsipras and his leftist party that many said “sold” Greece to foreign governments.
For some, Mitsotakis’ victory brings hope that the country can return to a path of growth and stability after being devastated by ongoing economic and humanitarian crises.
Mitsotakis, 51, is a U.S.-educated ex-venture capitalist and scion of a powerful political family who has mapped out his moves carefully since assuming the helm of New Democracy in early 2016.
His father, Constantinos, was prime minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993 and served for a long time as an imposing force in Greek politics, while his sister, Dora Bakoyiannis, served as foreign minister of the country under New Democracy governments, as well as mayor of Athens from 2002-2006.
Following the announcement of Mitsotakis’ victory, thousands of New Democracy supporters gathered outside of the party’s headquarters in Athens to celebrate (video below).
Featured Image / Costas Baltas, Reuters
Video: Mitsotakis’ Supporters Celebrate Election Victory
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