Global Courant
ATHENS
Greece’s main opposition party, SYRIZA, elected its interim leader on Sunday, after Alexis Tsipras resigned on Thursday following the party’s defeat in last month’s elections, local media reported.
According to the ERT public broadcaster, the left-wing party’s political secretariat has chosen one of the party’s senior members and former energy minister Sokratis Famellos as interim leader to serve as parliamentary group chairman.
It is stated that the party congress will meet in September to elect a new leader.
In addition, an extraordinary congress will convene in November to discuss and decide on the party’s restoration process and the future policies the party will adopt, according to the broadcaster.
In the general elections held last Sunday, which has formed the country’s most right-wing parliament since 1974, conservative New Democracy won 40.55% of the vote, gaining 158 of the 300 seats in parliament.
Although SYRIZA retains its position as the main opposition party, taking the second place with 17.84% of the vote and 48 deputies, the results point to a major defeat, as confirmed by the party’s leaders.
The social democratic party PASOK came in third with 11.85% of the vote and secured 32 seats in parliament.
The country’s 150,000-strong Turkish minority will be represented by four deputies, two from the SYRIZA and two from the PASOK lists.
Turnout in Sunday’s election was only 52.82%, up from 61.1% in May.
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