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KOUVARAS, Greece, July 17 (Reuters) - Two wildfires, fanned by strong winds, raged uncontrolled through coastal towns near Athens on Monday forcing residents to flee their homes and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of children from a summer camp. The blaze that broke out in the village of Kouvaras, about 27 km (17 miles) southeast of the Greek capital, spread fast amid erratic winds, a Greek fire service official said. Dozens of horses were evacuated in trucks as the flames reached stables in the nearby areas of Kalyvia and Anavyssos. [1/10]Flames approach a house as a wildfire burns in Saronida, near Athens, Greece, July 17. There is a very high risk for fires," Artopoios said adding that strong winds will persist.

Persons: Ioannis Artopoios, Stelios Misinas, Artopoios, Greece's, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, We've, Stamos, Lefteris, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, Andrew Heavens, Sharon Singleton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Police, Fire, Flames, REUTERS, Authorities, Thomson Locations: KOUVARAS, Greece, Athens, Kouvaras, Lagonisi, Kalyvia, Loutraki, Saronida, Dervenochoria, Brussels, Mati

☆ Leaders of Turkey and Greece vow to repair ties after year of tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023. Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office/Handout via REUTERSATHENS, July 12 (Reuters) - Greece and Turkey agreed on Wednesday to resume talks and confidence-building measures as they hailed a new "positive climate" in ties after more than a year of tensions between the historic foes. Relations improved when Greece became one of the first countries to send rescue workers to help pull survivors from the rubble after a devastating earthquake hit Turkey in February. "We are cautiously optimistic we can turn a new page," Mitsotakis told reporters after the summit. Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Additional reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Dimitris Papamitsos, Erdogan, Mitsotakis, Renee Maltezou, Huseyin Hayatsever, Conor Humphries Organizations: NATO, Minister's, REUTERS, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Greek, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, REUTERS ATHENS, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, United States, Greek, Thessalonki

☆ Greek PM says not fair to manage EU migration problem alone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Greek coast guard rescued 104 people but hundreds of migrants drowned after an overloaded boat capsized and sank in international waters off Greece's Pylos on June 14, in one of Europe's deadliest shipping disasters in recent years. Survivors have said that the ship capsized after a disastrous towing attempt by the Greek coast guard, which Greece denies. Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Mitsotakis is expected to meet re-elected Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO Summit this week. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Renee Maltezou, Christina Fincher Organizations: European Union, EU, Latvian, NATO, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Pylos, Riga, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Greece’s, EU

CNN —NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that Turkey has agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance. Erdoğan has stood in the path of Sweden joining NATO for more than a year over a multitude of concerns. Turkey had resisted Sweden’s bid to join NATO for a long time, giving multiple reasons – including accusations that Swedish officials have been complicit in Islamophobic demonstrations, such as the burning of the Quran. More importantly, Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). But Erdoğan had faced pressure to step out of the way of Sweden’s NATO bid from his European and American allies.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdoğan, Erdogan, ” Stoltenberg, Sweden’s, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Biden “, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Kyriakos, ” Biden, It’s Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, Grand, Assembly, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Air Force, White, Biden Locations: Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania, Sweden, Lithuanian, Greece, “ Turkey, Mitsotakis

☆ CNN Exclusive: Biden says war with Russia must end before NATO can consider membership for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden told CNN in an exclusive interview that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks. “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said. Biden told Zakaria that it was a “difficult decision” to give Ukraine the controversial ammunition, but that he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine was running out of ammunition. Biden told Zakaria he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Turkey, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden. It’s an observation.’ I said, ‘Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zakaria, ” Biden, We’re, he’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Tom Brenner, Kyriakos, It’s, Xi Jinping, “, ’, you’ve, ’ ” Biden, Xi didn’t, CNN “, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu, “ It’s, Bibi Organizations: CNN, NATO, White House, Russia, White, West Bank Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Lithuania, NATO, Ukrainian, Israel, Russian, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, “ Turkey, Mitsotakis, China, Saudi Arabia, Beijing, ‘, United States, Riyadh

☆ Greek leftist leader Tsipras resigns as Syriza party leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ATHENS, June 29 (Reuters) - Alexis Tsipras, the one-time leftist firebrand who stormed to power on an anti-austerity agenda in Greece in 2015, stepped down from the helm of the Syriza party after 15 years on Thursday, following a heavy election defeat. At the height of Greece's deep economic crisis, Tsipras, known for sporting his no-tie look, rode a wave of anti-establishment anger to become the country's first leftist prime minister. "The time has come to start a new cycle," Tsipras said in a televised address announcing his resignation. Tsipras said he would not be a candidate at elections for a new party leader. Tsipras' decision to step down was "sudden", a party source said, but also "the right one for the party's reform and for his own legacy".

Persons: Alexis Tsipras, Syriza, Kyriakos Mitsotakis's, Tsipras, Renee Maltezou, Karolina Tagaris, Angeliki, Toby Chopra, Peter Graff Organizations: firebrand, Democracy, New Democracy, Communist, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece

EUROPE'S FAR-RIGHT RESURGENCEGains by the far right in Greece mirror a trend in several other European countries. Support for Germany's anti-immigrant AfD party is at its highest since the wake of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2018, in Italy a former far-right activist is prime minister and in Sweden a far-right party has joined the government. Some analysts said Mitsotakis's hard line on migration gave licence to a more xenophobic narrative from the far right. However, some said ultra-nationalists had claimed the turf on the far right because Mitsotakis was shifting to the centre. The Spartans party are led by businessman Vassilios Stigas.

Persons: Ilias Kasidiaris, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Akritas Kaidatzis, Mitsotakis, Akis Georgakellos, Vassilios Stigas, Golden Dawn, Golden, Kasidiaris, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Edmund Blair, Christina Fincher Organizations: Spartans, Greek coastguard, New Democracy, Aristotle University, EUROPE'S, SPARTA, Twitter, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Europe, Greece, Thessaloniki, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, Athens, Golden, Greece's, Kasidiaris, Golden Dawn

☆ Turkey's Erdogan, Greece's Mitsotakis to meet at July NATO summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Newly elected Greek Prime Minister and Leader of New Democracy conservative party Kyriakos Mitsotakis attends the handover ceremony at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiISTANBUL/ATHENS, June 26 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius next month, Mitsotakis' office said on Monday, a day after he won a national election. Mitsotakis was sworn in for a second term as prime minister on Monday following a resounding election win. Ergodan, who was elected to his third term last month, congratulated Mitsotakis in a phone call, the Turkish Presidency said on Monday. Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Lefteris Papadimas Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Mitsotakis, Ergodan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Chris Reese, Sandra Maler Organizations: Greek, New Democracy, REUTERS, Louiza Vradi, NATO, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Louiza, Louiza Vradi ISTANBUL, ATHENS, Vilnius, Turkish, Turkey, Cyprus

☆ Mitsotakis to be sworn in as Greek PM after landslide victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS, June 26 (Reuters) - Greece's New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be sworn in as prime minister on Monday after a resounding victory in a repeat election on Sunday gave him a second four-year term. But I assure you that I will stay true to my national duty," Mitsotakis said. Greek newspapers hailed the result a "historic win," with Ta Nea writing on its front page "Mitsotakis's absolute dominance, with no opponent." Sunday's vote was a heavy defeat for Alexis Tsipras's Syriza party, which lost more than 30 lawmakers. It also saw three fringe right-wing and nationalist parties - including the anti-immigrant 'Spartans', enter parliament with a combined 35 seats.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Ta, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Alexis Tsipras's Syriza, Tsipras, Karolina Tagaris, Lincoln Organizations: Democracy, Sunday, European Union, Spartans, Thomson Locations: 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

☆ 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

[1/24] New Democracy conservative party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks to supporters outside the party's headquarters, after the general election, in Athens, Greece, June 25, 2023. Fringe parties of the political left and right - including an anti-immigrant party calling themselves the Spartans - got a foothold in parliament. The system used in Sunday's poll gave the leading party bonus seats depending on voter support. The Spartans party, which said Greece was threatened by uncontrolled migration, was the surprise of the campaign. It was set to gain 4.7 of the vote and up to 13 seats in parliament, based on the early results.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kyriakos, Mitsotakis, Tsipras, Zoe Constantopoulou, Plefsi Eleftherias, Giorgos Katzimertzis, Ilias Kasiadiaris, Gina Kalovyrna, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Lefteris, Frances Kerry, Emelia, Giles Elgood, Mark Porter Organizations: New Democracy, REUTERS, Syriza, Spartans, European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, ATHENS, Kasidiaris

☆ Greeks vote in repeat election, likely to return conservatives to office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mitsotakis's New Democracy party won an election on May 21, 20 points clear of the leftist Syriza party that ruled Greece from 2015 to 2019. Mitsotakis, prime minister since 2019, stepped down in favour of a caretaker premier after the inconclusive vote last month, as required by the constitution. The boat had been shadowed by the Greek coast guard before it sank: the coast guard has said that the occupants refused all offers of help. Mitsotakis, whose administration has taken a hard stance on migration, said "wretched traffickers" were to blame for the disaster and praised the coast guard for rescuing people. Tsipras has questioned why the coast guard did not intervene earlier.

Persons: Kyriakos, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, Mitsotakis, Tsipras, Michele Kambas, Frances Kerry Organizations: Greek, New Democracy, REUTERS, Democracy, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Stoyan, ATHENS, Libya, Italy, Europe

☆ Greek Youths, Shaped by Debt Crisis, Plan to Vote for Stability
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days before this Sunday’s election in Greece, three young women with piercings and ironic T-shirts who sat outside a hipster coffee shop in an Athens neighborhood best known as a hub of anarchist fervor said they wanted stability. “Money is important — you can’t live without money,” said Mara Katsitou, 22, a student who grew up during the country’s disastrous financial crisis and one day hoped to open a pharmacy. “There’s nothing that matters to someone more than the economy.”As a result, she said, she would cast her vote for Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 55, the square, conservative prime minister who graduated from Harvard, who is fond of riding his bike and who, polls suggest, will win convincingly on Sunday in a second national election. With Mr. Mitsotakis — who is also the son of a former prime minister — Ms. Katsitou said, she had “definitely a better chance.” About a third of young voters like her feel the same, polls indicate. After spending impressionable years amid so much panic, desperation and humiliation during the decade-long financial crisis that erupted in 2010 — and which collapsed the Greek economy — many of Greece’s depression-era children have grown up to say they have no interest in ever turning back.

Persons: ”, Mara Katsitou, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis —, — Ms, Katsitou Organizations: Harvard Locations: Greece, Athens

☆ The Dark Incentives That Led to a Refugee Tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Hundreds of people may have died last week in the Mediterranean, after a boat overloaded with migrants, including many children, capsized and sank. It was one of the deadliest migrant disasters in years. And, indeed, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said Greece’s border enforcement was Europe’s “shield,” because its harsh tactics prevent migrants from reaching E.U. “This border is not only a Greek border, it is also a European border,” she said after Greece used tear gas to repel hundreds of people who were trying to cross over from Turkey. The European Union has gone to even greater extremes to deter migrants.

Persons: Christina Goldbaum, Zia Ur, Rehman, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ursula von der Leyen, Frontex Organizations: European Union, Times, European Commission, European, Human Rights Watch Locations: Bandli, Pakistan, Kashmir, Italy, Greece, E.U, European, ”, Turkey, European Union, Libyan, Libya

☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: CNN investigation raises questions about coast guard's account of shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Florence Davey-Attlee Elinda Labropoulou Jomana Karadsheh Gianluca Mezzofiore Katie Polglase | Florence Davey-Attlee | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

They also call into question the Greek coast guard’s version of events, suggesting more lives could have been saved, and may even point to fault on the part of Greek authorities. The Hellenic Coast Guard has declined to answer CNN’s specific requests for response to the survivor testimonies. The Greek coast guard has maintained that people onboard the trawler had refused rescue and insisted they wanted to continue their journey to Italy. The haunting final words sent from the migrant boat came just minutes before it capsized. Most of all, Mostafa says, he wishes the Greek coast guard had never approached their boat: “If they had left us be, we wouldn’t have drowned.”

Persons: “, Rami, ”, Mostafa, Nikos Alexiou, Byron Smith, ” Rami, Lucky, –, ” Mostafa, Nawal Soufi, …, superyacht, Stringer, Eurokinissi, Vincent Cochetel, Stelios Misinas, Reuters Cochetel, ” Omer Shatz, Mohammad, Fadi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis Organizations: CNN, Hellenic Coast Guard, Reuters CNN, Cross, UNHCR, European Union, “, Getty, ” Workers, Reuters, Center for Constitutional, Human Locations: Greece, Syria, Greek, Coast, Athens, Tobruk, Libya, Italy, Kalamata, AFP, Berlin, Netherlands, Sunday’s, Europe

☆ Analysis: Greek bonds snapping at heels of southern Europe's best in class
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Stefano Rebaudo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The country has received three international bailouts from the euro zone and the IMF worth 280 billion euros ($308 billion) since 2010. "The Greek (bond) market is not so liquid and tends to be more volatile, but we have a lot of good news. The Greek economy is still heavily exposed to volatile sectors like tourism or shipping, but it is less sensitive to manufacturing headwinds. The premium, or spread, of Greek government bond yields over those of Spain recently fell to its lowest since 2008 at around 27 basis points . Across southern Europe, only Portugal and Spain trade at a smaller premium to Germany - the euro zone benchmark - than Greece.

Persons: Athanasios, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Goldman Sachs, Filippo Taddei, Piet Haines Christiansen, Giorgia Meloni, Mario Draghi's, Christoph Rieger, Stefano Rebaudo, Sara Rossi, Amanda Cooper, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Bank of America, Democracy, Analysts, European Recovery Fund, Danske Bank, Italy's, ECB, Italian Treasury, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Greece, Spain, Europe, Portugal, Germany, European, Italy, Italian

☆ Opinion: If a 16 year old can drive, work, pay taxes – why can’t they vote?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In Germany, this age group can vote in European elections, and the same goes for Belgium, on request. And, when Scotland held its referendum on Scottish independence back in 2014, it lowered the voting age from 18 to 16. In the US, some cities in the states of Maryland and California have lowered the voting age to 16 in certain local elections. The US-based NGO National Youth Rights Association argues that 16- and 17-year-olds should participate on decision making on medical autonomy, curfew, drinking age and age discrimination. “They work and are subject to taxation without representation: income tax, sales tax, payroll taxes and more… The US should continue its democratic tradition of extending voting rights,” he added.

Persons: Paul Hockenos, ”, Paul Hockenos Hayyan, –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Grace Meng, Meng, ” Linda Kastrup, Neil Bhateja, Greta Thunberg, they’ll Organizations: CNN, New Democracy Party of Greek, YouTube, Facebook, European Union, Scotland, Scottish, Youth, Youth Rights Association, –, National Youth Rights Association, Twitter Locations: Berlin, Europe, New Berlin, Greece, Austria, Malta, EU, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Maryland, California, New York, London, Bogota, Nairobi

Greek authorities said it was too soon to speculate on the total number. Greek authorities said it remained unclear how many the vessel was carrying when it went under, and that 104 people had been rescued by midday. We do not know how many people were in the hold," Greek coast guard spokesperson Nikos Alexiou told Greece's MEGA TV. [1/4] Rescuers transfer a migrant to an ambulance following a rescue operation after their boat capsized at open sea, in Kalamata, Greece, June 14, 2023. Italian authorities then alerted Greece to the vessel's presence, and the Greek coast guard approached it and offered help.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Nikos Alexiou, Greece's, Filippo Grandi, Stelios, Mitsotakis, Stamos Prousalis, Karolina Tagaris, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, John Stonestreet, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, ERT, Twitter, Greece's MEGA, Refugees, REUTERS, EU, Frontex, NATO, Wednesday, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KALAMATA, Greece, East, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Italy, Libyan, Tobruk, Crete, Europe, Kalamata, Pylos, capsizing, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Athens, Libya, EU, Europe's, Geneva, Reuters Libya

☆ Greece’s reform labours are only half complete
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Greece’s large current account deficit and domestic corruption undermine its attraction as an investment destination. The issue, rather, is whether Greece will be able to attract investment in the quantities needed for it to fulfil its potential. What’s more, investment is still only 14% of national income, even though this measure expanded during Mitsotakis’ first term as prime minister. Well-designed tax and benefit reforms could even reduce the country’s unemployment rate, which is currently 12%, thereby increasing its productive potential. All this would provide a buffer if Greece or the world economy is hit by further shocks in coming years.

Persons: Hercules, Mitsotakis, Bruegel, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Union, International Monetary Fund, Bank of, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Mitsotakis ’, Bank of Greece, Mitsotakis

☆ 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.

A new electoral system means New Democracy fell just shy of an absolute majority, paving the way for coalition talks this week though a second vote in June is more likely. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emerged stronger despite a wiretapping scandal, the COVID pandemic, a cost of living crisis and a deadly rail crash in February which triggered public outrage. "I think what Syriza missed was the willingness of the electorate to move away from the crisis politics era. That is what Mitsotakis understood whereas Syriza didn't," said Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of political risk advisory at Teneo. Another leftist party, MeRA25, led by Varoufakis, used a similarly cryptic slogan "Alliance for the Rupture".

☆ Greek elections: Ruling conservatives take lead but fail to secure majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

If he fails to form a coalition, a caretaker government will be sworn in and a second vote will take place in late June or early July. “Neither of the two main parties are new to the scene. The turmoil, which one political party referred to as “Greek Watergate,” forced a number of high-profile departures. The most likely scenario is that a caretaker government will be sworn in and a second vote will take place, most likely, in early July. They are expected to rally behind the main parties in a second election where they will want to see a strong government emerge.

☆ Morning Bid: Tech politics, debt cap brinkmanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Well-choreographed brinkmanship over the debt ceiling standoff looks set to go down to the wire, while technology firms have once again become a battleground in tense geopolitics. As AI-fueled U.S. technology stocks have led the way this year, the S&P (.SPX) has gained almost 10% this year and hit its highest level in nine months on Friday. Minneapolis Fed chief Neel Kashkari said on Sunday he could support holding rates steady at the next meeting. Futures markets see more than an 80% chance of a June pause and still price almost 50bp of cuts by yearend. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ 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.

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