Campaign Period Officially Begins in Greece Ahead of May 21 Polls

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaking to the public. Photo source: @KyriakisMitsotakis.

Greece officially entered the four-week pre-election period after a meeting on Saturday between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Mitsotakis requested the dissolution of parliament hours after credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings said Greece’s sovereign credit rating outlook was positive at “BB+”.

In the next four weeks, Greek political parties will be doing their campaigning. Already, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party launched its first televised spot titled “Going Back or Moving Forward”.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Hellenic Republic President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Source: @PrimeMinisterGR.

“The government has completed its term in office as we had committed to from the outset. This should be done because I believe that it is necessary to have an institutional continuity of the state so that the citizens can evaluate the whole of our government’s term of office in the upcoming elections and act accordingly and make their decisions,” said Mitsotakis during his meeting with Sakellaropoulou, who approved his request for May 21 elections.

After the meeting in a televised address, Mitsotakis presented his government’s achievements underlining the importance of maintaining stability and remaining focused on reforms, adding that he hoped for full participation in the election.

According to early opinion polls, the current voting system of proportional representation is unlikely to produce an outright winner from round 1. In the case a coalition government cannot be formed, a second vote will be held in July.

Photo © Aggeliki Koronaiou.

“I hope we have a calm and fruitful pre-election period for the good of the country,” Sakellaropoulou said.

Mitsotakis called elections late last month. “The country and its citizens need clear prospects,” he said, adding that only with a clean slate can his government continue implementing reforms.

The ruling party was elected to power in July 2019 after clinching a majority 39.8 percent of the public vote. He took over from Alexis Tsipras, head of opposition party Syriza, which came to power in 2015 by majority vote.

Mitsotakis is expected to present his party’s program during a special event in Athens in the coming days and on April 28 release his party’s ballot.