Greece - June 2023

On 14 June, a fishing boat that had departed from Libya and was carrying between 400 and 750 Egyptian, Syrian, Pakistani, Afghan, and Palestinian migrants capsized off the coast of Greece, near the town of Pylos. Greek authorities said this is one of the largest migrant tragedies on the central Mediterranean route and confirmed rescuing 104 people and recovering 82 bodies as of 28 June. According to a Pakistani investigative agency, at least 209 Pakistanis are among those who lost their lives with one town losing an entire generation of its young men. The tragedy has triggered inquiries about the actions, or lack thereof, of the Greek coastguard, as some survivors said it was a coastguard rope that capsized the boat. Greek officials contend that the boat sank due to an engine failure and movement by the migrants, while their offers for help were allegedly rejected by the migrants who had said the boat will sail on to Italy. The obligation to rescue those in distress at sea without delay is a fundamental rule of international maritime law. The European Commission has urged for ‘thorough and transparent investigation.’

Sources: Hellenic Coast Guard (1), Hellenic Coast Guard (2), Reuters, Info Migrants, Al Jazeera, CBS News (1), CBS News (2),  International Organization for Migration

Centre-right leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has won a second term as Prime Minister. His party, New Democracy, received 40.8 per cent of the vote in the second round of elections, securing 158 out of the parliament’s 300 seats, under the new system that provides the winning party with 50 bonus seats. Women will make up 23 per cent of the new legislature. The main opposition party, leftist Syriza, scored 20 per cent of the vote, the biggest loss margin for any opposition party since 1974. Centre-left Pasok received 11.4 per cent of the vote, while the far-left Communist Party of Greece took the fourth largest share of votes with 7.2 per cent. Far-right parties made significant gains, as Spartans, a Eurosceptic and ultranationalist party backed by Ilias Kasidiaris, the jailed neo-Nazi leader of the banned Golden Dawn party, entered the parliament. New Democracy’s win comes despite Greece’s deadliest migrant shipwreck in years, and following promises of economic growth reforms, and of continued financial stability by turning the country into a pro-business eurozone member. Voter turnout was 61.1 per cent, an increase of more than 3 per cent as compared to the 2019 elections.

Sources: Greek Ministry of Interior, Euronews, Al Jazeera, International IDEA