Tsipras calls snap elections in Greece after 9 percentage point EU election defeat
Greece
Sun, 26 May 2019 19:33 GMT
The Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has called for snap elections in Greece after a landslide defeat by nearly 10% from the main opposition party, Nea Dimokratia.
Suffering a larger than anticipated loss, Tsipras was responding to SYRIZA’s nearly doub...
The Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has called for snap elections in Greece after a landslide defeat by nearly 10% from the main opposition party, Nea Dimokratia.
Suffering a larger than anticipated loss, Tsipras was responding to SYRIZA’s nearly double-digit, crushing defeat with his party members before holding a press conference and announcing his decision.
Under normal circumstances, Tsipras’ 2015 mandate ends in October.
In a speech at SYRIZA party premises, Tsipras said he would meet with the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos after the second round of Prefectoral and Local elections (next Sunday) to call snap elections immediately. This, according to Greek electoral law would position the most probable date for Greece to go to the ballots on the 30th of June.
“This result gives the opposition the right to question our program and our plan,” said Tsipras, adding that the popular verdict is in the Greek people’s hands.
New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis had earlier called on prime minister Tsipras to resign, claiming that he had lost the popular mandate.
