Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday turned down a mandate to form a coalition government, saying he was preparing for a second election in June after what he called a 'painful' electoral defeat for his Syriza party.
ATHENS, May 23 - Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday turned down a mandate to form a coalition government, saying he was preparing for a second election in June after what he called a "painful" electoral defeat for his Syriza party.40.8% of the vote on Sunday compared with Syriza's 20.1%, had earlier opted against forming a coalition and has pushed for a second vote in a bid for an outright majority.
A second vote is scheduled for June 25, when a system of bonus votes for the winning party comes into play that could hand Mitsotakis' party a majority in parliament to govern alone. Before the election, Mitsotakis told Reuters he wanted to ensure his party secured a comfortable majority, saying "experience has taught us in Greece that one party governments are much more stable than coalition governments."
After its defeat, Syriza accused them of turning their back on efforts to form an alliance against the conservatives.
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