Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called for snap general elections in Greece after 2 June. In a televised address on Sunday, he said that he would ask the president to immediately call national elections following the second round of local elections.
The decision came following a crushing defeat by the Syriza party that was behind the conservative New Democracy by nine points in the EU elections. The difference between the two is unprecedented with ND gathering 33.31 per cent and, SYRIZA behind with 23.9 per cent, with only 25.71 per cent of the votes counted.
“The election result is not worthy of our expectations”, said Mr Tsipras in his address to the press.
“Today’s result gives the opposition the right to challenge the exit from the crisis and our plan to support the many,” he continued.
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Earlier, main opposition New Democracy Party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis also called for the resignation of Alexis Tsipras following the EU elections that showed the ND party leading in the European Parliament elections. “The prime minister must take responsibility and he must resign, and the country will head to national elections as soon as possible,” Mr Mitsotakis said.