Greece’s radical leader Alexis Tsipras pulled off the biggest gamble of his already dramatic political career as he romped to victory in a snap election.
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But the poll, taken jointly by five television stations Sunday, shows Tsipras’ Syriza party falling short of an absolute majority needed to form a government.
Into 51-percent of Sunday’s vote count, the left-wing Syriza party had 35.5 percent of the votes with the conservative New Democracy trailing with 28.one percent.
It is the third time Greeks are voting this year, after an election that catapulted Tsipras and his Syriza party to power and a referendum in which voters backed him to spurn the terms of a bailout – only for him to agree to it anyway.
New Democracy’s leader Vangelis Meimarakis conceded defeat shortly after the exit poll figures were announced, offering his congratulations to Tsipras.
Alexis Tsipras’s popularity plummeted when he agreed to a deal with European leaders implementing more austerity measures – in contrast to his anti-austerity campaigning ahead of the last election. But Mr Tsipras has since surrendered to the creditors’ demands.
Syriza abandoned its anti-bailout platform and billed its re-election as a blow to crony politics from more established parties, refusing to consider joining the conservatives in a grand coalition.
Before the election, both Syriza and New Democracy said they were committed to reforms Greece has to implement in order to receive more bailout cash promised by European countries.
Tsipras also admitted that the country’s pledge to go forward with four years of painful reforms set out by Europe’s leaders would not be easy.
Meanwhile, the far-right Golden Dawn party confirmed its position as the third force in parliament, gaining a seat compared with January’s election.
With coalition negotiations now set to begin, a senior Syriza source told Reuters the party hoped to form a government within three days.
“Together we will continue the struggle we began seven months ago”, Mr Tsipras said.
“He told … the truth, that this is how things are: ‘I have fought I did not achieve what I wanted, and I have brought this (deal)”.
Tsipras even managed to weather the defection of 25 of his lawmakers who formed a rival anti-austerity party in the wake of his deal with global creditors for a new 86-billion-euro ($97-billion) rescue.
“He had very little time”. Of particular importance will be the disbursement of funds to recapitalize Greek banks, which have been battered by outflows of deposits that prompted capital controls.
Yanis Varoufakis, the outspoken former finance minister, called the election “the “legalization” of the capitulation that followed the signing of the dead end, humiliating and irrational” bailout.
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The bailout programme is due for a review next month.
