PASOK emerges as the real big winner

One of the most muted elections since the restoration of democracy ended with a very loud bang on Sunday, with incumbent New Democracy winning a clear mandate for another four-year term (with the second election in June almost certainly being nothing more than a confirmation) and main opposition SYRIZA living up to the saying that if you don't work for a thing, things won't work out for you.

The popularity it earned from widespread public anger and frustration during the crisis turned into losses once things settled down. And even though it was right about a lot of things in its criticism of the government, the opposition's tone and attitude alienated a third of the voters who had supported it in 2019. It is the only second-placed party that is at risk of dropping to third place in a single term, and that is while facing what it described as "the worst government since the...