An outright victory by Syriza was always considered unlikely because the party, led by Alexis Tsipras, 41, alienated some voters and members of his own party by essentially doing the opposite of what he promised to do in the January election.
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Main opposition party New Democracy came second with 28 percent, unable to provide a challenge to Tsipras.
It has also been a frontline country as Europe faces its biggest migrant crisis in decades, with tens of thousands of people fleeing the Syrian war and other conflicts landing on Greek islands close to Turkey. Tsipras called the snap election to gain a new mandate after his government failed to reverse a €85bn bailout deal with European Union lenders, which would force the Greek state to continue heavy cuts to jobs and services.
Regarding a possible pact of government for the legislature that start today, the former Interior Minister, Nikos Vutsis stressed that if the results are confirmed, Syriza and Anel account for 155 deputies, so the previous pact, which was very efficient, could repeated quickly. Although the vast majority don’t want to stay in Greece and head north to more prosperous European countries, Greek authorities must still handle the new arrivals.
He is also due to attend a migration summit Wednesday in Brussels.
They expected victory, but not by this kind of margin. A review by creditor representatives is expected next month, and the country still has stringent banking restrictions introduced to prevent an all-out bank run in late June.
Putin congratulated the Greek leader in a telegram and “expressed hope for the continuation of constructive dialogue and active shared work for the future strengthening of mutually beneficial Russian-Greek cooperation”, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Ralph Brinkhaus, a senior parliamentary ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urged Tsipras to stick to the reform agenda and implement the bailout measures. He has pledged to soften the blow as much as he can and negotiate for alternatives where possible.
Speaking to jubilant supporters last night, Mr Tsipras said that Greeks were now synonymous with dignity and struggle, but he warned of hard times ahead.
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“We continue to think that… the (bailout) programme will make enough progress to allow a restructuring of loans from euro area countries by the end of the first quarter of 2016”, he wrote in a note. “The politics of the third (bailout)”.
