New Greek PM vows country will be 'proud' again
Monday, July 08, 2019
Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Greece's new centre-right prime minister has vowed the country will "proudly raise its head again".

After New Democracy's landslide victory on Sunday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would not fail to "honour the hopes" of the Greek people.

The win comes four years after Alexis Tsipras's leftist Syriza party swept to power promising an end to austerity.

But voters began to turn on Syriza after it accepted tough fiscal measures in return for an international bailout.

Unemployment and a shrinking economy further damaged support.

In the election, Mr Tsipras's Syriza came second, with just 31.53% of the vote so far, according to official figures released after almost all districts returned their results.

New Democracy, meanwhile, has won 39.85% so far, which would give them an outright majority as the winner receives 50 extra seats in parliament.

Mr Misotakis - the son of former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis - said the result gave him a strong mandate for change, but added he would be a prime minister for all because Greeks were "too few to stay divided".

The prime minister-elect, who will be sworn in on Monday, has promised lower taxes, greater privatisation of public services and plans to renegotiate a deal with Greece's creditors that would allow more money to be reinvested in the country.

"I want to see this people prosper. I want to see the children who left to return," he told supporters.

Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated Mr Mitsotakis on his "clear victory".