By Lefteris Papadimas
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s president on Wednesday named a caretaker prime minister to form a government that will lead the country ahead of another election in June, after last weekend’s inconclusive vote.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative New Democrats won the polls with a sweeping victory 40. The last 1% Sunday, but not a supermajority. The following two parties also refused to coalition to govern, and strive to conduct a second vote in June 21.
Mitsotakis argues that a second vote to give the leadership party an additional seat would give the NDP the majority it needs to rule independently.
Opposition parties also hope a second vote will boost their numbers.
On Wednesday, President Katerina Sakelaropoulou invited leaders of all political parties with votes above the 3% threshold to discuss next steps. The invitation was procedural and the brief talks did not produce a coalition government.
According to the Greek constitution, if joint talks fail, the president will appoint a caretaker prime minister to lead the country to a new vote.
She appointed a senior judicial official, Ioannis Sarmas, president of the Greek Court of Auditors, one of the country’s three highest courts.
“It is a constitutional duty and one that I accept as a citizen,” Sarmas told Sakellaropoulou.
Communist KKE leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas says re-elections will be held in June 21.
“We will lead a caretaker government, hold elections in June 40 and we will fight there,” Koutsoumbas told state ERT television.
Under the Greek electoral system, after the first election is inconclusive, the winner of the second ballot gets up to additional seats for every more than
%.
To benefit from the extra seats, the NDP would need to remain the largest party, but this seems likely as its closest rival, Syriza, gained just five points in May One of the votes 21. If it gets 40% of the vote again, or even a little less, it’s likely to get a supermajority.
However, the total number of seats the NDP gets will depend on how many other parties enter Parliament.
The NDP’s parliament from the May 21 elections will convene next Sunday and dissolve a day before a caretaker government takes over.
