The newly elected members of the Greek Parliament, who emerged from the general elections held on June 25, were officially sworn in on Monday. The opening session took place in the presence of President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and was filled with celebratory moments. The 300 parliamentarians participated in a religious ceremony as part of the induction process.
The June 25 elections resulted in a resounding victory for conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, securing his second four-year term in office. The landslide victory dealt a significant blow to the left-wing opposition party SYRIZA and prompted opposition leader Alexis Tsipras to announce his resignation. Notably, three far-right parties and one far-left party managed to cross the 3% minimum threshold, granting them parliamentary representation.
One of the surprises of the Greek elections was the performance of a new ultra-right political group called the Spartans, which garnered 4.64% of the vote and secured 12 seats in Parliament. The Spartans gained prominence with the support of Ilias Kasiadiaris, the former leader of the now-banned far-right Golden Dawn party, who endorsed them from jail after his own party was barred from the elections.
In addition to the Spartans, three other fringe parties earned parliamentary representation. Greek Solution, a nationalist party with pro-Russia leanings led by former journalist Kyriakos Velopoulos, gained 4.47% of the vote and secured 12 parliamentary seats. Niki, a party that emphasizes Orthodox Christian traditions, received 3.71% of the vote and obtained 10 seats. On the left side of the political spectrum, the newcomer Plefsi Eleftherias, or Passage to Freedom, secured 3.17% of the vote and eight seats. Its leader, Zoe Konstantopoulou, previously served as the parliament speaker under SYRIZA.
The new parliament will reconvene on Tuesday for the election of the Parliament president and the presidium, based on proposals from the parliamentary groups and parliamentary rules. The ruling party, New Democracy (ND), has nominated Konstantinos Tasoulas, the previous parliament president, for the position.
A three-day debate on the policy statement of the new government led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis will begin on Thursday, July 6. The debate will feature Prime Minister Mitsotakis, members of the new government, presidents of the parliamentary groups, parliamentary spokespersons, and MPs from all parties. The conclusion of the debate will be marked by a vote of confidence on Saturday, July 8, where the government will seek the support of parliament. The vote requires an absolute majority of MPs present, which must be no less than two-fifths (120 MPs) of the total plenum.
