Explained: What the change of power in Greece signals

Tsipras, who came to power in 2015, half expected electoral losses after the setback in the European Parliament elections in May, and advanced the national elections due in October in a bid to minimise damage

New Democracy conservative party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks outside party’s headquarters, after the general election in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2019. (Reuters)

Sunday’s national elections have ended Alexis Tsipras’ tenure as the prime minister of Greece. The firebrand leader of the left-wing Syriza (an acronym for The Coalition of the Radical Left) party conceded defeat after Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre-right New Democracy party won a resounding mandate, cornering nearly 40 per cent of the vote and reaching a comfortable majority of 158 seats in the 300-seat strong house. Tsipras, who came to power in 2015, half expected electoral losses after the setback in the European Parliament elections in May, and advanced the national elections due in October in a bid to minimise damage. However, his successor has a tough road ahead as the problems plaguing Greece have no easy solutions.

Why did Syriza lose?