Athens, May 25 (IANS) Greece is heading for a second general election this summer, after attempts to form a government coalition failed.
The ruling conservative New Democracy party won Sunday’s elections in the country with 40.79 per cent of the vote, but did not secure a parliamentary majority, Xinhua news agency reported.
Since subsequent attempts to form a coalition were unsuccessful, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou appointed Ioannis Sarmas, president of Greece’s supreme financial court, as head of a caretaker government that will lead the country to the elections. The move follows a meeting with leaders of all parties represented in the 300-member strong new parliament.
“It is my constitutional obligation to accept, and also my duty as a citizen,” Sarmas told the President. Under the Greek constitution, a top judge is appointed to lead caretaker governments in such cases.
The new government is expected to be sworn in later this week. Lawmakers will be sworn in Sunday, and the parliament is to be dissolved and new elections are to be declared on Monday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for repeat elections on June 25.
A revised electoral system will be used at the next election, which provides a bonus of up to 50 extra seats for the winning party, facilitating the formation of a single-party government.
Under this system, the frontrunner could gain an absolute majority in parliament with around 38 per cent of the vote, political analysts say.
–IANS
int/khz/
