The election in Greece

  

The Greek flag flies at half-mast at the Parthenon temple after the disaster. Petros Giannakouris / AP  

 

The election in Greece  

Mass death in the Mediterranean not an election issue in Greece  

 

"Tough but fair" - this is how Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has described his migration policy. Since he came to power four years ago, the number of asylum applications has dropped dramatically.  

 

The country has had to endure criticism for rejecting migrants at sea with brusque methods in violation of international law, writes TT. 

 

 After last week's disaster in which several hundred migrants died when their boat sank, Greece declared national mourning, but migration is not a contentious issue in today's parliamentary elections. 

 

 - Migration policy is and will probably remain restrictive, says Apostolis Papakostas, sociology professor at Södertörn University, to the news agency.  

 

- Many people think that other countries need to take responsibility.  

 

Newlyweds Marietta and Konstantinos take a selfie in a polling station in Athens. Thanassis Stavrakis / AP 

 

The economy is in focus when the Greeks go to the polls  

The polling stations in Greece have opened the gates. 

 

Incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy are expected to be re-elected.  

 

Mitsotaki's big election promise is continued economic growth. Under the Harvard-educated 55-year-old's rule, Greece has received reduced taxes, new investors and tourist revenues that are beginning to approach pre-pandemic levels, writes TT.  

 

The second round of elections comes five weeks after the first. At the time, Mitsotakis had an advantage over the leftist party Syriza and its leader Alexis Tsipras by more than 20 percentage points.  

 

The first polling station surveys are expected when the polling stations close at 7 p.m.  

 

 

Election event in support of New Democracy in Athens on June 23, 2023. Petros Giannakouris / AP

 

Analyst: Outclassing can disadvantage the winning party  

 

The winner of Sunday's Greek election is a given – Kyriakos Mitsotaki's center-right New Democracy party has more than twice as much support as the left-wing Syriza party, according to opinion polls. 

 

- We have seen in other countries that a weak opposition can become a problem for the government, says risk analyst Wolfango Piccoli to Politico. 

 

Partly because accountability suffers, and partly because voters' expectations become extremely high at the same time that the government lacks excuses if it does not deliver. 

 

New Democracy received by far the most votes in the first round of elections in May, but not enough to form its own government. In the second round, the winner receives 50 "bonus mandates". If that is not enough, Mitsotakis can announce a third round in August, according to AFP.