By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) – Despite winning a plurality in weekend elections, Greece’s premier on Monday returned the mandate to form a government, hoping instead to win a single-party mandate in fresh polls on June 25, Greek media reported.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose New Democracy party won nearly 41% of Sunday’s vote – twice the votes of its nearest challenger – returned to the president the mandate to form a government, reported public broadcaster ERT.
After phone calls with the leaders of the parties represented in the new parliament, Mitsotakis concluded he could not form a single-party government and so he will seek parliament’s dissolution and new elections on June 25, a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
With 99.68% of the votes counted early Monday, following New Democracy’s 40.8%, SYRIZA came in second at about 20.1%, socialist PASOK third at 11.5%, the Greek Communist Party fourth with 7.2%, and the far-right, populist Greek Solution party fifth with 4.5%.