The Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Athens (Representation for Greece and Cyprus), in a first assessment of the elections of June 25, 2023, which is signed by its director, Marian Wedt, states the following:

“The future Parliament will consist of eight parties, with the New Democracy (ND) forming an independent government. The ND won all constituencies except that of Rhodope (with a strong Muslim minority, which is partly influenced by the Turkish Consulate General of Komotini).

This is a historic result. Already in the elections of May 21, 2023, Kyriakos Mitsotakis not only managed to effectively win another term as prime minister, but to maintain and even expand his political dominance. This reinforcement was also confirmed with the second election on June 25, 2023.

With 158 seats, the ND achieved an absolute majority of MPs in the Parliament (a total of 300 seats). The result is even more impressive if you consider the challenges of the last four years: the pandemic, the surveillance scandal, the acute Turkish provocations, the migration pressure, the Russian war of aggression and its economic consequences, the train accident in Tempe and finally of an electoral system which favors smaller parties”.

According to the Adenauer Foundation, the reasons for Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ electoral success are as follows:

1. Mitsotakis and ND approached a broad stratum of voters up to the center-left of society with conservative, social and economically liberal positions and presented respectively specific proposals:

Economically liberal: tax reform and reduction of contributions, digitization and simplification of administration, openness to foreign investment. Greece is on an economic upward trajectory with 3-5% economic growth (above the European average) and is returning to the international financial markets. Great reduction in unemployment.

Social: Increasing the minimum wage from 780 to 950 euros gradually with the aim of increasing average earnings from around 1,170 euros today to 1,500 euros. Increase in pensions between 3-4%. Salary increase in the State.

Conservative: Guarantee of internal and external security. Expansion of border facilities on the Evros (great reception at rallies), strict controls on those without permission to enter the country, hotspot procedures, a clear position against Turkey’s threats, but with a moderate tone. Increasing the prestige of Greece in the world.

2. The face of Mitsotakis himself and the good evaluations of his personality. His presence on the campaign trail and on social media helped him emerge as a modern politician with a fresh “creative face”. He was able to reach people with clear language, authenticity as well as a friendly and approachable style. His personal approval ratings were well above those of the other candidates and clearly above those of his party. That is why the ND based its election campaign on his personality.

3. The lack of substantial opposition from SYRIZA. During the last pre-election period, there was no set of measures or proposals from SYRIZA on how they want to govern and shape the country. For this reason, Kyriakos Mitsotakis achieved the impressive result of beating Tsipras with a threefold percentage (24 points) compared to the 2019 elections (8 points). Tsipras was reduced to using only a harsh vocabulary for the government. His own proposals were absent. The strengthening of PASOK as an opposition force is related to this lack of constructive opposition work by SYRIZA. Tsipras will now be put to the judgment of the party members”, concludes Marian Vent.