ATHENS, September 21. /TASS/. The Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) of Alexis Tsipras won Sunday’s early parliamentary elections in Greece gaining 35.47% of the vote, Greece’s Interior Ministry said after 98.25% of the cast ballots were counted.
Syriza secured 145 seats in the parliament, while its closest rival, the right-wing New Democracy party won 28.09% of the votes or 75 seats. The ultra-nationalist Popular Association — Golden Dawn party came third with 6.99% of the vote or 18 seats.
The Syriza party will form a coalition government of 155 seats in the 300-seat parliament with its old partner, the Independent Greeks.
Tsipras, who is set to return to power after his resignation in August amid the unpopular bailout agreement with foreign creditors, told the voters that the Greek people gave his party a mandate for four years.
"This is not a victory of Syriza, this is a victory of the people," he said, adding that the fight against "asymmetrical powers" over the past seven months has shown that Syriza is too strong to die.
Syriza’s spokesperson Olga Gerovassili said the new government of the party will comply with the earlier agreements reached with the European creditors. "This will be a government with a four-year mandate and a powerful parliamentary majority that will fulfill a program signed with the international creditors."
The government will continue "tough talks with creditors," as there is the need to define how the agreement will be implemented. "This is only the beginning of the battle," she added.
Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections took place amidst political uncertainty and economic hardships. The polls became inevitable after the government of Tsipras had lost the majority in parliament following the refusal of almost 40 "dissident" members of his own party to vote on the Third Economic Adjustment Program for Greece worth about €86 billion.
On August 20, Tsipras resigned, the parliament was disbanded and the date for snap elections was set.