Socialism in Greece

With elections looming, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wants to focus on younger voters, with an eye on the 420,000 who have been added to the electorate since 2019. 

More specifically, this age group concerns people born in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, who will be 20, 19, 18 and 17 years old respectively this year and will be voting for the first time.

The leader of Greece's opposition has promised to legalize same-sex marriage with full parental rights if he wins a general election next month, in a move that would make it the first predominantly Orthodox Christian country to do so.

Alexis Tsipras, who heads the main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, said his government would grant same-sex couples the legal right to marry.

The ruling Conservatives maintain a lead of 4.5 percentage points over leftist main opposition party, SYRIZA, in voting intention, according to a new poll by Pulse, conducted on behalf of broadcaster Skai, and published on Tuesday.

Both major Greek parties, the ruling center-right New Democracy and left-wing SYRIZA, are targeting the more than 10% of voters who, according to recent opinion polls, are at present undecided who to vote for.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on SYRIZA to take a clear stance about the the construction of the fence on the Evros land border with Turkey. 

"With or without European money, the fence on the Evros will be completed," said the Greek Prime Minister, who is from the ranks of conservatives, reports the portal Euractiv, which reminds that Greece has already built a 37.5 kilometer long fence on the Evros River, but that it plans to expand it by much more.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced at a cabinet meeting Tuesday that the next election will take place on May 21.

The announcement had been expected; initially, the government was planning on an April date, before the deadly train crash on February 28 upended the plans.

"Major change for the country" is coming, main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday, in his first reaction to the calling of the general election on May 21.

"This adventure is coming to an end. Just a few more weeks of patience," he said.

A progressive coalition centered on SYRIZA - provided it comes first in the election - will provide stability for a full four-year term, the leader of the main opposition, Alexis Tsipras said on Monday.

The speculation around partnerships between parties against the backdrop of ruling New Democracy's aim to form a single-party government will be the central theme of the long election period that will end on July 2. The first election in May will be conducted with the single proportional system.