The triumph and the responsibilities

The system of simple proportional representation used in the May 21 elections was a wasteful, inconvenient and costly choice - a price we paid due to the opportunism of SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, which mirrored the opportunism of the late socialist leader Andreas Papandreou.

In both cases, the electoral system was changed because New Democracy was ahead of the ruling party. However, opportunism often backfires, and the outcome was almost unprecedented: The conservative government completed its term with higher popularity than when it took office, rather than experiencing the natural wear and tear of governance. Meanwhile, support for the leftist opposition significantly declined compared to the beginning of its term. Despite losing five consecutive elections, Tsipras refuses to step down, suggesting that resignations are seen as a bourgeois habit.

I acknowledge a...