The Greek Prime Minister's Syriza Party has suffered defeat at the EU Elections (Image: GETTY)
With a severe drubbing at the ballot box for the leftist Syriza party, Tsipras decided not to push through to a full term which expires in October. Tsipras said: “I will request immediate declaration of national elections from the President of the Republic.” New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis demanded Tsipras resign, saying he had lost the popular mandate.
Mitsotakis said: “The Prime Minister must assume his responsibilities. For the good of the country he must resign and the country should hold national elections, the soonest possible.”
Results for the European Parliament vote showed Syriza trailing the opposition New Democracy party by about nine points.
Syriza stormed the Greek political scene on an anti-austerity platform six years ago, then suffered a backlash after having to impose cut-backs as part of a third bailout in 2015.
More damagingly, there was a deeply unpopular agreement that resolved a long-running name dispute with North Macedonia.
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