Greek President Dissolves Newly Elected Parliament, Announces New Elections On June 25

Greek President Dissolves Newly Elected Parliament, Announces New Elections on June 25

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou signed a decree on Monday to dissolve the newly elected parliament and hold new elections on June 25, according to a document published in the official government gazette

ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2023) Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou signed a decree on Monday to dissolve the newly elected parliament and hold new elections on June 25, according to a document published in the official government gazette.

After the previous elections, it became clear that it would be impossible to form a government that would be trusted by the parliament, the decree read. Therefore, the parliament was dissolved and the next parliamentary elections were set for June 25.

"We are convening a parliament formed in the elections on Monday, June 3, 2023 at 11:00 (08:00 GMT)," the document signed by the president and caretaker Prime Minister Ioannis Sarmas read.

According to tradition, the decree was posted on a notice board near the entrance to the parliament, Greek broadcaster ERT reported.

This is the second time in Greece's modern history that the parliament has been dissolved almost immediately after being elected. The last time this happened was on May 19, 2012, less than two weeks after the elections.

The new parliament, which was elected on May 21 and sworn in on May 28, was scheduled to hold its first session on June 1, but the government proposed accelerating its assembly and dissolution.

In the May 21 parliamentary vote, no party won an absolute majority of 151 or more of the 300 seats. In accordance with the constitution, Sakellaropoulou invited Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to form a government as leader of the party that came first in the elections. However, Mitsotakis, along with the leader of the opposition Syriza coalition, Alexis Tsipras, refused the mandate. On Tuesday, the leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), Nikos Androulakis, also declined the mandate.

The vote on June 25 will be held under the proportional party-list system, in which several candidates are elected based on their position on the electoral list proposed by their party.