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☆ Greek Lawmakers Quit Leftist Syriza Party in Protest Against New Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Greek lawmakers quit the leftist Syriza party on Thursday after breaking ranks with its new leader, formalising a split in the country's main opposition party which they said could now disintegrate. They resigned in protest over the leadership of 35-year old Stefanos Kasselakis, a former banker who was picked as party leader in September after Syriza's heavy defeat in June's national election. "SYRIZA is experiencing a dissolution crisis," the lawmakers said in a letter, accusing Kasselakis of contradictory positions and an ideological shift from leftist principles. The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year. "It is very uncertain how Syriza can succeed under these circumstances," head of ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

Persons: formalising, Kasselakis, Syriza, Euclid Tsakalotos, Goldman Sachs, Alexis Tsipras, ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos, Renee Maltezou, Gareth Jones Organizations: New Democracy, Socialist PASOK, ALCO, Reuters Locations: ATHENS, United States

☆ With Resounding Win in Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis Tightens Grip on Power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Greek voters on Sunday overwhelmingly re-elected the conservative New Democracy party, preliminary results showed, setting the stage for its leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to strengthen his grip on power with an absolute majority and what he called a “strong mandate” for the foreseeable future. With his landslide victory, voters appeared to have overlooked his government’s ties to a series of scandals and embrace his promise of continued economic stability and prosperity. With 91 percent of the votes counted at 9:45 p.m., the party had 40.5 percent, and was poised to win 158 seats in Greece’s 300-member Parliament, far ahead of the opposition Syriza party, which was in second place with 17.8 percent, with 47 seats. The socialist Pasok party took third place, with 12.5 percent, and got 32 seats. In a statement from his party’s headquarters in Athens, the capital, Mr. Mitsotakis described the results as “a strong mandate, to move more quickly along the road of major changes.”

Persons: Kyriakos, Mitsotakis Organizations: Sunday, New Democracy, Pasok Locations: Greece’s, Athens

☆ Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis wins repeat election, securing clear parliamentary majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of Greece’s center-right New Democracy party, has won a second four-year term as prime minister. During his election campaign, Mitsotakis vowed to further extend a 35-kilometer fence at the Greek-Turkey border, to block migrants trying to enter Greece. Fueled by May’s initial election results, Greek bonds and stocks have rallied with optimism that a pro-investment government could prevent financial backsliding. Other fringe far-right entries to the race included the nationalist party Greek Solution and the ultra-religious, anti-abortion Niki. “But despite the populist cacophony, Mitsotakis’ strong victory provides the new government a clear mandate to govern.”

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, ”, “, Syriza, “ Mitsotakis, Nick Malkoutzis, ” Mitsotakis, Alexis Tsipras –, –, Tsipras, Wolfgango Piccoli, Vassiliki Georgiadou, Ilias Kasidiaris, Niki Organizations: CNN, Democracy, New Democracy, PASOK, KKE, Panteion University, Spartans, Nazi, Freedom Locations: Greece, Pylos, Turkey, Europe, New, Athens, Golden

☆ After no outright victory, Greek PM to get mandate for coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS, May 22 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due on Monday to receive an official mandate to try form a coalition government after falling short of an absolute majority win in Sunday's election. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou was expected to invite Mitsotakis on Monday and hand him a three-day mandate to lead negotiations with other parties to try to form a coalition. If the talks fail, the second and third parties - Syriza followed by the socialist PASOK - each get a three-day mandate as well. Should no party succeed in forming a coalition, Sakellaropoulou will appoint a caretaker government to take the country to a new vote about a month later. On Sunday, Mitsotakis said that people gave him the mandate to "rule strong and autonomous", suggesting he was unlikely to join forces with any other party.

☆ Greek conservatives win parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Supporters of New Democracy conservative party react at the party's main election kiosk after the announcement of the first exit polls, in Athens, Greece, May 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, May 21 (Reuters) - Greece's conservative New Democracy party achieved a crushing victory in a national election on Sunday, official results showed. New Democracy had a lead of 40.8% of the vote based on 94.3% of the votes counted versus 20.1% for the leftist Syriza party, but fell just short of the threshold needed to form a government on its own. Following are the official results released by the Interior Ministry. Source: Interior Ministry data, with 94.3% of votes countedND: Conservative New Democracy party, leader Kyriakos MitsotakisSyriza: Leftist coalition party, leader Alexis TsiprasPASOK: Socialist party, leader Nikos AndroulakisKKE: Communist party, leader Dimitris KoutsoumbasEL: Right-wing Elliniki Lysi (Hellenic Solution), leader Kyriakos VelopoulosReporting By Athens BureauOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greek conservatives lead in national election-exit poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Supporters of New Democracy conservative party react at the party's main election kiosk after the announcement of the first exit polls, in Athens, Greece, May 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, May 21 (Reuters) - Greek conservatives were leading over the leftist Syriza in elections on Sunday, a joint exit poll by six polling agencies showed. The exit poll gave the conservative New Democracy party between 36-40% of the vote versus 25-29% for the leftist Syriza party, which governed the country in 2015-2019, at the peak of Greece's financial crisis. The projections suggested that New Democracy was not likely to win outright. EXIT POLLExit poll conducted by: ALCO, Marc, Metron Analysis, MRB Hellas, Pulse and GPO* ND: Conservative party, leader PM Kyriakos MitsotakisSyriza: Leftist party, leader Alexis TsiprasPASOK: Socialist party, leader Nikos AndroulakisKKE: Communist party, leader Dimitris KoutsoumbasMera25: Leftist party, leader Yanis VaroufakisEL: Right-wing Elliniki Lysi (Hellenic Solution), leader Kyriakos VelopoulosPlefsi Eleftherias, leftist party, leader Zoe ConstantopoulouReporting by Athens newsroomOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greece's ruling Conservatives win vote but fall short of majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Greece's ruling New Democracy party stormed to a crushing victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday but fell just short of the threshold needed to form a government on its own. Greece's interior ministry projected that New Democracy could win 145 seats in parliament, six short of an absolute majority. On Monday, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will give the top three parties — New Democracy, Syriza and the Socialist PASOK — three days each in turn to form a coalition government. Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he believed he was given a clear mandate. Tsipras telephoned Mitsotakis to congratulate him on his win, a Syriza official said.

Ahead of an election on May 21, a cost-of-living crisis that is eroding earnings is foremost in voters' minds. For Klaoudatou it means voting for anyone but the incumbent conservative New Democracy or the opposition leftist Syriza. Reuters GraphicsThree international bailouts saved Greece from toppling out of the euro zone during a decade-long debt crisis that peaked in 2015. "Εven during the crisis - and this is the joke - I didn't think so much before spending a single extra euro," Klaoudatou told Reuters. Reuters GraphicsPAYCHECK BARELY GETS TO PAYCHECKOne in two Greek households could barely get by on their monthly income last year.

☆ Factbox: The European Parliament's cash-for-influence scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Belgian authorities have charged four people linked to the European Parliament over allegations World Cup host Qatar lavished them with cash and gifts to influence decision-making. RAIDS AND THE PROSECUTION CASEInvestigators searched 19 homes and the offices of the European Parliament in raids on Dec 9-12. Pier Antonio Panzeri - a former European Parliament member from Italy's centre-left and founder of non-profit pro-justice campaign group Fight Impunity. Belgium also submitted European arrest warrants for his wife and daughter in Italy. According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Giorgi has confessed to taking bribes to influence European Parliament decisions and sought to exonerate his partner Kaili.

☆ EU's Borrell: European Parliament corruption probe is "very worrisome"
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A Belgian investigation into alleged corruption at the European Parliament is "very worrisome", European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday after raids and arrests linked to alleged money and gifts from Qatar. The European Parliament said at the weekend it had suspended the powers and duties of one of its vice presidents, Greek socialist Eva Kaili, in light of the Belgian investigation. "Certainly the news is very worrisome," Borrell told reporters as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "We are facing some events, some facts that certainly worries me as a former president of the European Parliament, also." The European Parliament was due to vote this week on a proposal to extend visa-free travel to the EU for Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Ecuador.

☆ Belgium charges four people in European Parliament corruption probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Prosecutors searched 16 houses and seized 600,000 euros ($631,800) in Brussels on Friday as part of an investigation into money laundering and corruption. The European Parliament said at the weekend it had suspended the powers and duties of one of its vice presidents, Greek socialist Eva Kaili, in light of the Belgian investigation. Belgian Socialist party member Marc Tarabella confirmed it was his home and that a computer and mobile phone had been taken. "If it were confirmed that someone took money to try to influence the opinion of the European Parliament, it will really be one of the most dramatic stories of corruption in recent years," he added. The European Parliament is due to vote this week on a proposal to extend visa-free travel to the EU for Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Ecuador.

CNN —Eva Kaili, one of the European Parliament’s vice presidents, has been expelled by her political party in Greece amid a corruption probe. In a statement, the prosecutor said that for two years, Belgian federal police inspectors “suspected a country from the Persian Gulf of influencing economic and political decisions of the European parliament,” according to RTBF. The Belgian police suspect that the country transferred “consequential sums of money” or “important gifts” to significant actors within the European Parliament, according to RTBF. The federal prosecutor did not identify the vice president but said they were one of four individuals taken in for questioning. Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all surround the Persian Gulf.

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