London, Thanasis Gavos

The phrase of Kyriakos Mitsotakis about “political earthquake” is invoked by the BBC in his response from Athens on the election result, noting that New Democracy is only five seats short of independence.

Nevertheless, the British network continues, overall Mitsotakis’ statements are an indication that he will not seek to share power with another party but that he will go to second elections claiming independence.

It is also reported that the Interior Ministry’s map of the territory has been painted blue with the exception of only Rhodope, an image that is a “huge setback” for SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras.

The BBC reports that the centre-right government can boast that the economy grew by almost 6% last year, with Mr Mitsotakis trying to send a message to voters that he alone can be trusted to consolidate growth.

“The Greeks seem to have reacted positively, more than expected”, comments the British network.

The Financial Times they write that Mitsotakis “crushed” his opponents, unexpectedly increasing the percentage of his party and losing self-reliance for a while.

Despite the fact that the result far exceeds poll estimates for the ND, Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to call for second elections in the summer, notes the financial newspaper.

“No ruling party in Greece has increased its percentage in an election for more than 40 years,” the report continues, with a Greek professor of political science in Manchester describing yesterday as “undoubtedly the best election result for a sitting government since the post-colonial ».

The FT also comments that the result potentially threatens the political career of Mr Tsipras, who is linked to the “risky manoeuvres” surrounding Greece’s participation in the euro.

Reportedly, instead of benefiting from the accuracy debate, SYRIZA lost significant percentages, falling from 31.5% to just over 20%.

A British economic analyst comments in the newspaper that the country’s economic outlook seems strong, with the “open question” being Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ adherence to the rule of law. In this he refers to the accusations of wiretapping and illegal pushing back of refugees at the border.

THE Guardian states that the elections did not produce a winner, despite the difference of 20 percentage points that Greece has “rarely” seen in the post-colonial period. It is noted that even in the socialist stronghold of Crete, the ND did unexpectedly well.

A statement by Giorgos Gerapetritis is noted for a “very important victory” of the ND, with the people voting “for the future”.

Reference is also made to the failure of the Varoufakis party to enter the Parliament and to the good performance of the KKE in the urban centers.

The paper says the way is open for a second election, as no governing coalition is expected to be formed, although the process of investigative orders begins today.

The newspaper’s comment on the result is that the Greeks seem to have confirmed the opinion that they voted for stability, despite the “discomfort” from the perceived “democratic backsliding” under the ND with the main expression being the surveillance scandal.

THE Daily Telegraph writes that Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the ND recorded an “overwhelming” victory, but briefly lost self-reliance, making second elections in a month more likely.

The newspaper also characterizes the result as an “impressive boost” for Mr. Mitsotakis despite the wiretapping, the pandemic, the accuracy crisis and Tempi and, on the contrary, a “disaster” for Mr. Tsipras.

Finally, the Times they focus on the fact that for a few seats the ND did not ensure independence and on the “defeat” of Alexis Tsipras.

It is noted that reforms and foreign investment under Mr. Mitsotakis have transformed Greece from a headache for Europe to one of the fastest growing economies in the EU. Mr. Mitsotakis has also won credit from the West for trying to calm the tensions and “to avoid war” with President Erdogan, the Times adds in its response.

At the same time, reference is made to the economic difficulties faced by the citizens and to the tragedy of Tempe.