Syriza leader, Alexis Tsipras, swore a political oath on Monday evening to become Greece's Prime Minister for the second time in eight months.After meeting with Vassiliki Thanou, interim Prime Minister during the pre-election period, he congratulated her for the way she handled the tense refugee crisis adding that she made history by being the first female prime minister in Greece.
He also said he will do everything in his power to help Greece exit the economic crisis and restore it as an equal partner in the EU.
“I believe our country can come out of this difficult situation of the last five years and this is our commitment. To do everything in our power for the country and its people to exit this difficult situation and to make it strong again, an equal partner in the European Union and its people proud and dignified,” Tsipras told Thanou.
On Monday, Alexis Tsipras also met with the leader of the Independent Greeks (ANEL) party Panos Kammenos for talks at SYRIZA's Koumoundourou headquarters. Both heads have announced their intention to once again form a coalition government. The two parties have 155 parliament members combined, with the required minimum number of MPs a government must have being 151.
Emerging from the meeting, Kammenos said that procedures to form a government were underway and that its final composition will be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday morning at the latest.
“It will be a progressive government that will continue the work we began in six months,” Kammenos said. He also expressed hope that MPs will hear the message for national unity that the Greek people sent via the ballot box.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Alexis Tsipras on Monday to congratulate him on his party’s electoral victory.Tsipras received a congratulatory phone call from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who congratulated Tsipras via a phone call on Sunday evening, made a further statement on Monday
“I am forced to conclude that secession works as a threat, but somewhat less during elections. Whoever injures with secession, dies in the elections. And this Varoufakis, to use let’s say this technical term, we got rid of him.”
The fomer Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis responeded to Renzi through a tweet
“You didn't get rid of me, Mr. Renzi. You got rid of European democracy when you blackmailed Alexis that night,” Varoufakis tweeted.