Alexis Tsipras

The executive committee of the leftist main opposition is holding an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to discuss the future direction of the party, after the dismal results at the May 21 and June 25 elections that saw the party trail behind the Conservatives by a wide margin in both votes.

In the runup to the election, now-Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that increasing the minimum wage to 950 euros and the average salary to 1,500 euros was a "realistic goal" over a four-year horizon.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras is set to miss the Party of European Socialists (PES) European Council Preparation Meeting on Thursday according to party sources on Wednesday. Reportedly, Tsipras has prior engagements on that day.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis proved to be the right man at the right time when he was elected to lead New Democracy in 2016. The party needed someone who knew the mechanisms of politics from an early age and, at the same time, was seen as an outsider, a technocrat who could deal with the populism of the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis (C) greets supporters after the announcement of the first results in the general elections, at the party's HQ in Athens, 25 June 2023. Photo EPA-EFE/ALEXANDROS VLACHOS

"We have a strong mandate and a parliamentary majority and our government will be a government of hard work and practical results," Mitsotakis said.

The center-right "New Democracy" is the big winner of the early parliamentary elections in Greece that were held yesterday. The party will form an independent government and rule for the next 4 years.

SYRIZA chief Alexis Tsipras refuted speculation that he may step down from the helm of the main opposition after suffering a second defeat in Sunday's ballot. 

"I will be judged the members of the party," Tsipras said in comments at SYRIZA headquarters in downtown Athens, indicating that a congress will be called within the next few months to decide on the leftists' fate.

Polls in Greece closed at 7 p.m. on Sunday, and the exit polls show New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his conservative New Democracy defeating Alexis Tsipras' leftist SYRIZA party and securing an outright majority in Parliament. Stay with our live blog for the most up-to-date news and developments as results come in.

• 9,813,595 million Greek citizens are eligible to vote in the elections; Greeks living abroad have already cast their votes.
• Running for office are 32 parties, four coalitions of parties and two individuals standing as independents.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of left-wing party SYRIZA, stated that these elections are important for the future of democracy in Greece from the voting station in Peristeri where he cast his ballot.