After elections winner New Democracy, also the two leaders of the second and third winner parties in May 21 elections, SYRIZA and PASOK/KINAL, turned down on Tuesday the exploratory mandate to form a coalition government. They have paved the way for the second round of elections.
Leader of left-wing SYRIZA Alexis Tsipras visited the president of the Republic on Tuesday morning and turned down the second exploratory mandate to form a government, while PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis paid a visit in the afternoon.
They both turned down the mandate saying there were “no opportunities for a government convergence on the basis of parties agreements.”
The first exploratory mandate was received and returned on Monday by the leader of the elections winner ND, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
With the three party leaders to have rejected the mandate, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou will summon on Wednesday the political leaders of the five parties that passed the 3% threshold to check if a cross-party government can be formed.
In the likely event that a cross-party government cannot be formed, the president will call on the president of the Council of State, the Supreme Court or the Court of Audit to form a caretaker government to arrange the upcoming elections, most likelt to take place on June 25.
worth noting that the 300 lawmakers elected on May 21 will take an oath on Sunday afternoon, while the new Parliament will be dissolved a day later, on Monday, May 29.
