Independent Greeks won't contest July election

The Independent Greeks, the former junior coalition partner of ruling left-wing Syriza, will not contest the July national election, party president Panos Kammenos announced Sunday.

The decision, taken at the meeting of the party's national council, comes at the heels of a disastrous showing in last month's elections for the European Parliament, where the Independent Greeks got 0.8% of the vote, coming into 15th place.

In remarks to reporters, Kammenos acknowledged the victory of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy party. "I sincerely hope that (Mitsotakis) will be able to bring about the political change that the people voted for," he said.

Founded in February 2012, after Kammenos, a right-wing populist firebrand and longtime lawmaker, left New Democracy in protest at the latter's acceptance of the austerity policies imposed on Greece by its creditors,...

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