Greece: The Greek Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has stated that his conservative party unleashed a “political earthquake” with a thumping win in the election but hinted that he would seek another election in order to secure an absolute majority that would allow the party to govern alone.

With most votes counted, New Democracy party had 40.8 percent of the votes, a 20-point lead over the left-wing Syriza party of Mr. Alexis Tsipras, which had 20.1 percent.

Despite holding a significant lead, Greece’s interior ministry projections indicated that New Democracy would fall six seats short of an outright majority in parliament, leaving Mr. Mitsotakis with the choice of forming a coalition government or initiating a fresh election to secure a decisive result. The 55-year-old made clear his preference.

“The citizens want a strong government with a four-year horizon. Today’s political earthquake calls on all of us to speed up the process for a definitive government solution,” the Greek PM stated.

Mr. Tsipras indicated a new vote was likely, saying “the electoral cycle is not over yet. The next battle will be critical and final.”

Greek President Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou will give the top three parties, including New Democracy, Syriza, and the socialist PASOK, three days each in turn to form a coalition government. If they all fail, Ms. Sakellaropoulou will appoint a caretaker government to prepare for new elections about a month later.

The election was held under a new law of proportional representation, which makes it particularly difficult for any party to win enough parliamentary seats to form a government on its own.

If a second election is held, probably in late June or early July, the law will change again, shifting to a system that rewards the leading party with bonus seats and makes it easier for the frontrunner to secure a parliamentary majority.

TECH WORLD: Elon Musk appoints Linda Yaccarino as new Twitter CEO