Last month, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party received by far the most votes, but the 40% it won was not enough to secure a majority. As the prime minister does not want to form a coalition with a smaller party, Mitsotakis has pushed for new elections. Different rules apply in the second round, so that the winning party receives dozens of bonus seats in the 300-member parliament.
The opposition also went for a second round hoping to close the gap to Mitsotakis in the meantime. It seems like an impossible task. The left-wing Syriza became the runner-up in May, but received only half of the votes New Democracy managed to get. Polls have shown little fluctuation since then.
Boat accident
The election was partly overshadowed by the serious boat crash off the Greek coast that killed hundreds of migrants last week. Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has questioned the actions of the Greek coastguard, but that probably didn’t do the party any good. Analysts say many Greeks support the government’s migration policy, which uses the coastguard to protect borders.
Whether New Democracy achieves an outright majority depends, among other things, on whether the party again gets more than 40% of the vote and how many parties reach the electoral threshold. Depending on the result, the winning party can receive up to fifty extra seats. It is not clear which party Mitsotakis wants to form a coalition with if his party cannot govern alone.