With the second round of local elections set to take place on Sunday, ruling New Democracy, which posted a sweeping victory in the first round last week, is looking to build on this momentum to cement its dominance over Greece’s political scene. At the same time, the main opposition SYRIZA seems to be caught in a popularity rut, while Stefanos Kasselakis, its newly elected leader, is facing unrest within the party. Expert Panos Koliastasis, an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Peloponnese and the author of the book "Permanent campaigning in Greece in times of crisis: the Samaras, Tsipras and Mitsotakis premierships", joins Thanos Davelis to break down what these elections mean for Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his ruling party, SYRIZA, and Greece.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

A confirmation of political dominance

The derby in Thessaloniki

Internal resistance keeps Kasselakis on his toes, while ND focuses on local vote

Cyprus becomes safe haven for people heading to, leaving Israel

Mitsotakis says unified European stance on Mideast crisis necessary

Bracing for pitfalls of Mideast turmoil