Greece heads to new election after conservatives fail to clinch majority

Athens: Greece is heading toward a new general election, two days after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy party won a landslide victory in a national vote but failed in clinch a majority in parliament.

A power-sharing deal was put mathematically out of reach Tuesday, after the main opposition party formally received and summarily rejected an invitation to try and form the country’s next government.

Mitsotakis’ had swiftly ruled out seeking a coalition, opting instead for a second election, expected on June 25. That would introduce a change in the electoral system that favours the winning party and likely hand him an outright victory.

The 55-year-old Mitsotakis won just over 40 per cent of the vote Sunday, hammering his main opponent by 20 points. He has promised to continue pro-business reforms, tough policies to combat illegal migration, and high defence spending as Greece recovers from a major financial crisis in the previous decade.

Under Greece’s constitution, the first three parties are awarded up to three days each to try and form a government before parliament is dissolved and a new election

is called.