Greece faces new election in weeks, after center right triumphs but falls short of majority

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece faces new national elections as early as June 25, after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed he wouldn’t try to build a coalition government — despite having dominated the ballot hours earlier by the most decisive margin in half a century. With 99.70% of the votes counted Monday, Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party had 40.79% and 146 seats, five short of a majority, winning in 58 of the country’s 59 constituencies. Syriza got 20.07%. Mitsotakis, 55, was given the formal mandate Monday to try and form a government. But the Harvard-educated former banking executive said that wouldn’t happen. A new election would provide a major boost to the first-placed party with up to 50 additional seats in Parliament.