Ekathimerini.com The Greek Letter : New Democracy wins parliamentary majority as far-right is on the rise - 25 June 2023

 

New Democracy wins parliamentary majority as far-right is on the rise[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy party achieved their goal of winning an outright majority in the next seating of the Hellenic Parliament, winning 40.56% of the vote with almost 98% of the vote counted. Mitsotakis, standing in front of a jubilant New Democracy crowd, vowed to continue the government’s work and set high goals for his next term. New Democracy will elect 158 deputies, which despite the slight increase in the party’s share of the overall vote from 2019 is the same number of parliamentarians elected that year. Early information on the incoming cabinet shows several shuffles, with Kostis Hatzidakis taking over as Finance Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis serving as Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias shifting over to the Defense Ministry, and Niki Kerameus taking over as Interior Minister. SYRIZA got 17.83% of the vote, continuing the slide witnessed in May. Its performance in the elections translates to 47 deputies, retaining the role of main opposition. Nikos Androulakis and newly resurgent center-left party PASOK won 11.86% of the vote, electing 32 deputies, while the Greek Communist Party (KKE) got 7.67% and 20 parliamentarians. KKE was followed by three right-wing and far-right parties. Specifically, far-right ‘Spartiates’, endorsed by jailed leading Golden Dawn cadre Ilias Kasidiaris, won 4.68% and elects 13 deputies, the ‘Greek Solution’ party of Kyriakos Velopoulos trails with 4.45% and 12 lawmakers, with religious party ‘Niki’ receiving 3.70% and 10 MPs. The final party elected is ‘Course for Freedom’ of former Parliamentary Speaker Zoi Konstantopoulou, which received 3.17% of the vote and elected 8 deputies. Former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and his leftist party MeRA25 failed once again to surpass the 3% threshold needed to elect MPs. Spotlight The elections confirm the questions hanging over the future of the Greek political Left, with the shrinking percentage of SYRIZA surely once again set to raise questions of leadership within the main opposition. Despite the result, Tsipras did not resign as some people expected but said that he would be judged by the party membership going forward, noting however the end of an era and the need for initiating changes with the party’s policies and leading personalities.   A particularly worrying trend is the rise of the far-right. The existence of three parties to the right of New Democracy, with a combined vote exceeding 12%, is reminiscent of more troubled years in the recent past. In particular, the very strong electoral performance of ‘Spartiates’, whose leader thanked Ilias Kasidiaris for his endorsement in his speech, should serve as a rude wake-up call.

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OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition A huge victory and the challenges ahead[InTime News] After not only consolidating its position as the country’s major political force, but at the same time further increasing an already huge distance from the two parties representing the center left, SYRIZA and PASOK, New Democracy returns to power with a higher percentage than it got in the 2019 election. For his part, Kyriakos Mitsotakis returns to the primeministership vowing to push ahead from the very start of his second term with reforms which the country desperately needs. He will move forward with many different faces in the ministries. Not necessarily new ones as many will rotate, an example being the expected move of Nikos Dendias from Foreign Affairs to Defence. He is also expected to appoint more women in his new government, correcting a mistake he has acknowledged he made in his first term. Looking to the day after, there are many challenges the new government will have to address, a number of them exceptionally sensitive and instrumental to the country’s future, therefore requiring the broadest possible consensus. Relations with Turkey is one of them. On this front, there has been a prevailing sense over the past few months that big international players, with significant clout at the European and global levels, want the conclusion on the long election period in both countries – as was also the case with Cyprus a few months ago – to lead to the normalisation of bilateral relations, to the benefit of the two sides, but also in favor of peace and stability in the region. For any such effort to have any chance of success, however, no matter how strong the government majority, and he has achieved a solid one, it needs to have the backing of a broad segment of society and the political system. The initiative for making the moves that will be required to achieve this consensus rests with the prime minister. That said, the parties of the opposition also need to step up – if not those at the extreme edges of the ideological spectrum, then certainly the two major parties of the center left, which also have government experience and are eyeing a return to power at some point in the future. Another major challenge facing the new government is the revision of the constitution, a process that requires an enhanced majority of 180 MPs in the 300-seat House. Here too, there will need to be some level of understanding of what the review will entail, as well as support from more than one party.

CHART OF THE WEEK

The trend by a large part of prospective buyers to acquire larger homes, which first proliferated in the aftermath of the pandemic, seems to be solidifying. According to a survey by RE/MAX Greece, one in two Greeks is now looking to acquire property larger than 75 sq. m. Of course, this is not solely a Greek phenomenon but is an international trend. The rise of remote work, whether full time or on a hybrid schedule, translates into a higher demand for an additional room or workspace.

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ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

“The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,268.71 points before the elections, a slight decrease of 0.69% from last week.”

“Greece’s current account deficit increased by 120.7 million euros year-on-year, standing at 1.8 billion euros in April. However, it fell by 3 billion euros to stand at 5.6 billion euros in the January-April period according to the Bank of Greece.”

“Luxury summer homes in Greece are being let out with prices ranging from 30,000 to 170,000 euros per week, with the average duration of a stay being two weeks. According to Greece Sotheby’s International Realty, there has been an increase in last-minute demand.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

27/06/2023Beleri swearing-in ceremony: The swearing-in of mayor-elect of Himara ethnic Greek Fredi Beleri, who is being detained by the Albanian authorities, has been set for Tuesday. However, because he is unable to be physically present, a vice-mayor will assume his duties. 29/06/2023European Summit: European Union leaders will convene for a two-day summit in Brussels that will focus on, among other issues, the economy, issues of migration, and defense. 29/06/2023Panhellenic results: The results of students who sat the nationwide university entrance exams will be published on Thursday according to the Education Ministry.

Editor's PickThe numbers, which we love so much when they’re conveying the truth most convenient to us, paint a picture of tragedyPantelis BoukalasRead the article

PODCAST

23/06/2023 • 13:59Greece’s demographic challengeThodoris Georgakopoulos, a journalist, columnist, and the editorial director at DIANEOSIS, joins Thanos Davelis to break down Greece’s demographic challenge and what can be done to adjust to this reality and look to reverse this trend.

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