Greece is scheduled to hold general elections next May, as confirmed by the ruling party leader. The statement comes after a recent railway disaster that sparked widespread protests against the government.
The prime minister reiterated in a sit-down interview with a national broadcaster that elections will take place in May.
Although the legislative term runs through June, expectations have long pointed to a May vote, with May 21 commonly cited as a possible date.
The New Democracy party, led by the prime minister, has expressed confidence about a victorious outcome, even as polling shows a narrowing gap since the accident.
Recent surveys place the governing party roughly three points ahead of Syriza, a margin that has narrowed from earlier polling.
anger wave
The tragedy triggered a surge of public outrage, ongoing strikes, and near-daily demonstrations across major cities.
Demonstrators argue that security and control systems on the rail network were insufficient and that safety protocols were not properly enforced.
Critics have accused the government of delaying upgrades to the railway network during its time in power from 2015 to 2019.
A parliamentary committee has been examining why the so-called
717 contract, signed by the state rail operator in 2014 to introduce automatic safety measures on the Athens–Thessaloniki line, remains unfulfilled.
The Railroad Regulatory Authority later released a report indicating that a number of station managers, hired under the current administration, were not adequately prepared prior to taking office.
Among those cited is a station manager who acknowledged to prosecutors that a passenger train had been placed on the same track as a freight train, leading to a head-on collision that claimed 57 lives.
Initial official explanations cited human error, and some workers faced lawsuits tied to the incident. With mounting public pressure, the prime minister acknowledged shortcomings in rail safety but did not indicate plans to resign.
Moving forward, officials emphasize ongoing investigations and improvements to signaling and safety systems, including reassessing track management practices across the network. The government also faces scrutiny over its response to the disaster and the pace of infrastructure upgrades in the rail sector. — attribution: national governance briefings and regulatory reports from transportation authorities.