July 2019 Greek legislative election

July 2019 Greek legislative election
Election name	July 2019 Greek legislative election
Country	Greece
Type	parliamentary
Previous election	May 2019 Greek legislative election
Previous year	May 2019
Next election	June 2023 Greek legislative election
Next year	2023
Seats for election	All 300 seats in the Hellenic Parliament
Majority seats	151
Turnout	57.92%
Election date	7 July 2019
Leader1	Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Party1	New Democracy
Leaders seat1	Athens B
Last election1	39.85%, 158 seats
Seats1	158
Popular vote1	2,251,411
Percentage1	39.85%
Swing1	▲5.88 pp
Leader2	Alexis Tsipras
Party2	Syriza
Leaders seat2	Athens B
Last election2	31.53%, 86 seats
Seats2	86
Popular vote2	1,781,174
Percentage2	31.53%
Swing2	▼3.93 pp
Leader3	Fofi Gennimata
Party3	Movement for Change
Leaders seat3	Athens B
Last election3	8.10%, 22 seats
Seats3	22
Popular vote3	457,519
Percentage3	8.10%
Swing3	▼0.01 pp
Title	Prime Minister
Posttitle	Prime Minister after election
Before election	Alexis Tsipras
Before party	Syriza
After election	Kyriakos Mitsotakis
After party	New Democracy

July 2019 Greek legislative election was a snap parliamentary poll held in the Hellenic Republic on 7 July 2019. It resulted in a decisive victory for the center-right New Democracy party under Kyriakos Mitsotakis, ending the four-year coalition government led by Alexis Tsipras of the left-wing Syriza. The election was called after the May 2019 election produced a fragmented parliament, with New Democracy winning but unable to form a government, leading to the dissolution of the Hellenic Parliament.

Background

The election was necessitated by the political impasse following the May 2019 Greek legislative election, where no party secured a workable parliamentary majority. Under the Constitution of Greece, after three failed attempts to form a government, the parliament must be dissolved. President Prokopis Pavlopoulos issued a decree for new elections after the leaders of New Democracy, Syriza, and the Movement for Change failed to broker a coalition. This period followed years of austerity measures linked to the Greek government-debt crisis and international bailouts from the European Stability Mechanism and the International Monetary Fund. The previous Tsipras cabinet had navigated the conclusion of the Third Economic Adjustment Programme for Greece but faced public fatigue over economic conditions.

Electoral system

The election was conducted under a reinforced proportional representation system, as amended by the Nikolaos-Toskas law passed by the Syriza-Independent Greeks coalition in 2016. All 300 seats in the Hellenic Parliament were contested across 59 multi-member constituencies, with a 3% national threshold for parliamentary representation. A plurality bonus system awarded the leading party an extra 50 seats, designed to facilitate single-party governments. Voting was compulsory for citizens registered in the Greek electoral rolls, though penalties were not enforced. The Ministry of the Interior (Greece) oversaw the administration, with results validated by the Supreme Special Court.

Parties and leaders

The major contenders were Kyriakos Mitsotakis leading the center-right New Democracy, which advocated for pro-business reforms and tax cuts. The incumbent Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras headed the left-wing Syriza, campaigning on social welfare policies and opposing further austerity. Fofi Gennimata led the center-left Movement for Change, an alliance primarily consisting of the former PASOK. Significant smaller parties included the Communist Party of Greece under Dimitris Koutsoumpas, the far-right Greek Solution led by Kyriakos Velopoulos, and MeRA25, the anti-austerity party founded by former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. The neo-fascist Golden Dawn, led by Nikolaos Michaloliakos, also participated while its leadership faced trial for running a criminal organization.

Campaign

The campaign focused heavily on economic management, with New Democracy promising to stimulate growth, attract foreign investment, and renegotiate certain terms with the European Union. Syriza emphasized protecting social achievements from its tenure and criticized the opposition's neoliberal agenda. Key issues included unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, the North Macedonia naming dispute following the Prespa agreement, and national security concerns with Turkey over the Aegean dispute and Cyprus dispute. The Movement for Change positioned itself as a pragmatic alternative, while smaller parties like MeRA25 campaigned on debt relief and Greek Solution on nationalist themes. Major rallies were held in Syntagma Square and Thessaloniki.

Opinion polls

Throughout the short campaign period, opinion polls consistently showed a strong lead for New Democracy over Syriza. Major polling organizations like MRB Hellas, Alco, and Pulse RC projected New Democracy securing between 37% and 42% of the vote, with Syriza trailing by 7 to 10 percentage points. The Movement for Change was forecast to place a distant third. Polls indicated a decline for Golden Dawn following the ongoing trial of its leaders and a potential entry into parliament for Greek Solution. Surveys were published in major newspapers like Kathimerini and Ta Nea, and broadcast on networks such as Skai TV and ANT1.

Results

New Democracy won a clear majority, securing 158 seats with 39.85% of the popular vote, nearly matching its performance from the May election. Syriza placed second with 86 seats and 31.53% of the vote. The Movement for Change received 22 seats with 8.10%, while the Communist Party of Greece won 15 seats with 5.30%. Greek Solution entered parliament for the first time with 10 seats (3.70%), and MeRA25 gained 9 seats (3.44%). Golden Dawn fell below the threshold, losing all its seats. Voter turnout was 57.92%, a slight decrease from May. Following the results, Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece, forming the Mitsotakis Cabinet and marking a return of center-right governance to the Maximos Mansion.

Category:2019 elections in Greece Category:Legislative elections in Greece