Centre-right wins comfortably in Greece but misses its targets

The centre-right New Democracy won Greece’s European elections – but outside their offices on Sunday evening, there were no ordinary voters, only party members and journalists.

It’s been a few years since parties’ supporters met in the centre of Athens after electoral victories.

“Our party did not reach the goal we set,” says Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, from New Democracy. “Many voters complained about everyday issues such as punctuality. I hear their voices.”

His ruling party got 28.3% of the vote – a comfortable win, but 12 points lower than the figure in 2023 Greece’s national elections. Turnout was also a record low of around 40%.

Meanwhile, the percentages of the far-right parties added up to around 17%. They are ultra-conservative, pro-Russian or pro-church parties, and call themselves “anti-systemic”. This could be the next big question in Greece.

Source BBC