By Gina Kalovyrna and Michele Kambas
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greeks went to the polls on Sunday for the second time in little over a month to elect a new parliament, with voters expected to give former Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservatives a second term in office.
Sunday’s election is being held in the shadow of a migrant shipwreck this month in which hundreds are feared to have perished in southern Greece. One of the worst such disasters in years, it has exposed the parties’ divisions over migration.
Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party won an election on May 21, 20 points clear of the leftist Syriza party that ruled Greece from 2015 to 2019.
But it fell short of the outright majority needed to rule without forming a coalition, prompting the second vote under different rules that make it easier for the winning party to secure a majority in the 300-seat parliament.
READ MORE: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece, data suggests
An exit poll projecting the results is expected right after polling stations close at 1600 GMT. Early official results are expected around 1700 GMT.
Opinion polls in recent days have shown New Democracy winning with around 40% of the vote, with Syriza headed by Alexis Tsipras on about 20%.
“I would like them to make an effort for a better Greece in all the sectors, in education, in wages, in jobs, for everything to be fair and right. A better Greece for all of us,” said pensioner Sofia Economopoulou, after voting.
SHIPWRECK DISASTER
The shipwreck disaster dominated campaigning in the run-up to the election.
Rescuers found 104 survivors and recovered 82 bodies but up to 750 people are thought to have been packed on the ramshackle vessel heading from Libya to Italy. The boat had been shadowed by the Greek coast guard, which said occupants refused all offers of help.
Mitsotakis, whose administration has taken a tough line on migration, has blamed “wretched traffickers” for the disaster and praised the coast guard for rescuing people. Tsipras, who governed Greece during Europe’s 2015-2016 migrant crisis, has questioned why the coast guard did not intervene earlier.
The Covid-19 pandemic and a deadly rail crash in February also exposed the shortcomings of the health and public transport systems. But a cost of living crisis and economic hardship have more recently topped voters’ concerns.
“I expect a lot (from the new government),” pensioner Giorgos Katzimertzis told Reuters.
“The main thing is the health system, the economy, so we can live (decently) because things are difficult. I am a pensioner, I was on the fire brigade, and now I don’t have a dime.”
READ MORE: Eswatini on par with EU countries on free education and healthcare
Mitsotakis urged Greeks to elect a government with a clear majority.
He has promised to boost revenue from the vital tourist industry, create jobs and increase wages to near the European Union average.
Tsipras said the vote was a “final and crucial” battle, which would determine Greeks’ future over the next four years.
“What is being determined is whether we will have an uncontrollable government or balance in democracy … whether we will have a strong opposition that can control the government,” he said after voting.
