Former Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the “strong mandate” given to him by voters in legislative elections in which his right-wing party won a landslide victory with more than 40 percent of the vote, guaranteeing him the prime ministership for a second term.

The Election Results

Mitsotakis, 55, a graduate of the prestigious US Harvard University and a former consultant for US consulting firm McKinsey, said in a televised statement: “The people have given us a secure majority. Major reforms are ahead and will be implemented quickly.”

The conservative leader made his announcement after more than 80 percent of ballot boxes were counted showing his New Democracy party won 40.5 percent of the vote, compared to 17.8 percent for its closest rival, the left-wing party SYRIZA. Alexis Tsipras.

International Reactions

U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Mitsotakis on his victory, saying in a statement, “I look forward to continuing our close collaboration on shared priorities to advance regional prosperity and security.”

Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron sent his congratulations to the Greek leader, calling him “a friend and partner of France.” “Let’s get on with all the work… for a stronger and more sovereign Europe,” Macron tweeted.

For his part, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Twitter that the victory of the Mitsotakis camp was “a sign of political stability that benefits all of Europe.”

The Second Election

Mitsotakis won the May 21 elections but did not win enough of a majority to allow him to form a new government without alliances, prompting him to once again resort to the polls and again invite 9.8 million voters to cast their votes.

Elections were held on Sunday under a different electoral system, which provided that the party that won this vote would be rewarded with up to fifty additional seats.

Mitsotakis’ Plans

Greek voters went to the polls on Sunday to take part in a new general election, the second in five weeks, in which Mitsotakis sought to consolidate his gains and win an absolute majority that would allow him to form a “stable government.”

Shortly after the vote, Mitsotakis stated that the Greeks were “voting for the second time in weeks to have a stable and efficient government.”

In an attempt to urge his citizens to vote, Mitsotakis again threatened this week that he would hold a third round if he did not win a sufficient majority on Sunday.

“I hope we don’t have to meet again at the beginning of August,” he said on Friday before the start of the campaign silence, stressing that “this is not a joke … All the progress we have made must be consolidated and continued.”

Mitsotakis, who is the heir to a large political family and the son of a former prime minister, has previously hinted at holding elections in the middle of the summer break if he fails to achieve his goals, which has been condemned by the opposition and the media, who considered it an attempt to “blackmail” voters.