Greek election results – as they happened

With more than 82 percent of the ballot counted, Tsipras said the “electoral cycle is not over yet”.

The next battle, he said, will be “critical and final”.

Tsipras’ Syriza party has so far garnered 20.1 percent of the vote, while rival New Democracy party is credited with 40.8 percent of the votes, a 20-point lead.

Despite a clear win for New Democracy, they are still short of reaching an outright majority.

In his victory speech, Mitsotakis said he had won a mandate to form a strong autonomous government.

“The ballot results are decisive. They show that New Democracy has the approval of the people to rule, strong and autonomous,” Mitsotakis said.

He also said only “strong governments” can enact the changes needed.

Reporting from Athens, Al Jazeera’s Stefani Dekker said Mitsotakis addressed his supporters now that 75 percent of the vote has been counted.

“We’re expecting him [Mitsotakis] to come out now that those final numbers are solidifying, 75 percent of the vote has been counted, 40 percent to New Democracy and 20 percent to Syriza, that is quite a wide difference between them,” Dekker said.

Despite early predictions, Dekker said many people she spoke to are surprised by the result, especially after a wiretapping scandal and a deadly train crash.

Mitsotakis says his party’s election success shows that New Democracy has the people’s approval to rule as a one-party government.

Addressing the nation, he described the result as a “political earthquake” and thanked voters for backing his party.

“Greece needs a government that believes in reforms, and this cannot happen with a fragile government,” he said.

Tsipras has called Mitsotakis to congratulate him on the ruling party’s election showing, according to local media reports.

Neither leader has publicly commented on the results yet.

With 71.39 percent of the ballots counted, the result remains largely unchanged:

• New Democracy: 40.83 percent, 145 seats
• Syriza: 20.07 percent, 72 seats
• PASOK-KINAL: 11.82 percent, 42 seats
• KKE: 7.09 percent, 25 seats
• Hellenic Solution: 4.50 percent, 16 seats
• Rest parties not entering parliament: 15.69 percent

A jubilant Nikos Androulakis, leader of the PASOK-KINAL (Panhellenic Socialist Movement-Movement for Change), has arrived at his party’s headquarters.

The socialist party is third, with about 12 percent of the vote and 43 seats.

Androulakis described the election, in which his party performed better than expected, as a “great day” for democracy.

With nearly 60 percent of the votes counted, the result is as follows:

• New Democracy: 40.87 percent, 145 seats
• Syriza: 20.09 percent, 71 seats
• PASOK-KINAL: 11.98 percent, 43 seats
• KKE: 7.03 percent, 25 seats
• Hellenic Solution: 4.49 percent, 16 seats
• Rest parties not entering parliament: 15.54 percent

Early reactions from New Democracy officials suggest that a new election is well on the cards, with June 25 now being floated as a likely date.

“It’s a huge surprise … an amazing result,” Nikos Dendias, the foreign minister in Mitsotakis’s government, told Greek public broadcaster TV ERT.

Takis Theodorikakos, a minister and a senior New Democracy official, told private TV station Skai that the result suggested that the conservatives could garner enough in a second election “to continue the reforms as an autonomous government”.

Senior Syriza official Dimitris Papadimoulis, a European Parliament vice president, told TV ERT that if confirmed, the result would be “significantly far” from the party’s goals and would mark a failure to rally opposition to the government.

While New Democracy party members celebrate the news, for some, like university student Petros Apostolakis, the result was unexpected.

“To be totally honest, I’m not very happy about the results New Democracy is receiving right now and that’s because as a young person, for the past few years, I’ve seen [the] New Democracy party implementing agendas that have nothing to do with the interests of my generation,” he told Al Jazeera in Athens.

“Climate change is not being faced enough by the mainstream parties, the rent and housing crisis we’re facing is not being faced enough by the parties in parliament, and other main issues are not being talked about enough.”

To Apostolakis, the opposition parties have not been able to express the “real needs” of the people, and that is why New Democracy is leading in the results.

Tsipras has also arrived at his party’s headquarters.

Supporters and party members cheered on the Syriza leader, even though the party’s showing appeared to be a major disappointment.

It turns out that Mitsotakis’s statement will now take place at about 10pm local time (19:00 GMT), according to the latest information.

The interior ministry estimates New Democracy will finish first, with 41 percent of the vote and 145 seats — just short of the 151 needed for an outright majority.

Syriza is expected to finish second with a disappointing 20 percent and 71 seats.

PASOK-KINAL follows third with 11.7 percent and 43 seats, ahead of KKE at 7.2 seats and 25 seats, and Hellenic Solution at 4.5 percent and 16 seats.

Early official results show a big victory for New Democracy.

With 30 percent of the votes counted, the ruling conservatives are ahead with 41.1 percent of the vote, while Syriza trails far behind at 20.1 percent.

There is jubilation among New Democracy members as the final exit poll projects that the ruling party will gain between 37.5 percent and 41.5 percent of the vote.

“[The exit polls] show a clear victory for New Democracy and a clear renewal of the mandate to continue the major changes sought by Greek society,” said government spokesperson Akis Skertsos.

Public Order Minister Takis Theodorikakos said on Skai television, “We have said that we want to govern outright because that would ensure stability and the way forward. So we have the right to ask the Greek people for that in the next election.”

Party leader, Mitsotakis, is expected to comment on the results at about 9pm local time (18:00 GMT).

In the previous election on July 7, 2019, New Democracy finished first, getting 39,85 percent (2,251,618 votes) and 158 seats.

It was followed by Syriza at 31,53 percent (1,781,057 votes) and 86 seats.

PASOK-KINAL was third with 8.10 percent (457,623 votes) and 22 seats, ahead of the Greek Communist Party, or KKE, at 5.30 percent (299,621 votes) and 15 seats.

The right-wing Hellenic Solution secured 3.70 percent (209,290 votes) and 10 seats, while the left-wing MeRA25 got 3.44 percent (194,576 votes) and nine seats.

A reminder that Sunday’s vote took place under a new electoral system which means that a repeat vote is highly likely.

As for the smaller parties, these are their projected shares of the vote according to the final exit poll.

• PASOK-KINAL: between 11.5 percent and 12.5 percent
• ΚΚΕ: between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent
• Hellenic Solution: between 4.3 percent and 5.3 percent
• MeRA25: between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent
• Pleusi Eleftherias: between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent
• Niki: between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent

The polling agencies have released the final exit poll based on the complete reading of the survey carried out at polling stations across Greece.

New Democracy is projected to do even better than the preliminary exit poll, gaining between 37.5 percent and 41.5 percent.

In contrast, Syriza’s projected share of the vote has been revised lower, between 23.5 percent and 27.5 percent.

Mitsotakis is expected to make a statement commenting on the election results at about 9pm local time (18:00 GMT).

His ruling party is projected to finish first in the election, gaining between 36 percent and 40 percent of the vote.

The exit poll projects that the ruling New Democracy party will win between 121 and 125 parliamentary seats, while the main opposition party, Syriza, is projected to gain between 86 and 89 seats.

Third-placed PASOK-Kinal is projected to win about 35 seats.

A reminder that a party needs a majority of at least 151 seats out of 300 available to form a government.

If the exit poll is confirmed, Mitsotakis would either have to enter into negotiations with his rivals or opt for a second round of elections in July.

All three major parties have already said they would not work together and form a coalition government if they were to win the vote.