Sunday 20 September 2015 11:07 pm

Greek election September 2015: Tsipras’ Syriza party looks set to return to office after New Democracy concedes defeat

Greek prime minister-elect Alexis Tsipras said he felt he'd been "vindicated" by the electorate, after his leftist Syriza party secured an unexpectedly strong election win.

"In Europe today, Greece and the Greek people are synonymous with resistance and dignity, and this struggle will be continued together for another four years," he told a cheering crowd in Athens.

"We have difficulties ahead, but we are also on firm ground."

With over eighty per cent of the votes counted, Tsipras' Syriza party is on course to claim 35.3 per cent of the vote, significantly ahead of its main conservative rival New Democracy which is on 28.1 percent.

The interior ministry said that would give him 145 seats in the 300-seat parliament, just five fewer than when he first stormed to power early this year. New Democracy's leader, Evangelos Meimarakis, has since conceded defeat.

"The electoral result appears to be concluding with Syriza and Mr Tsipras in the lead. I congratulate him and urge him to create the government which is needed," Meimarakis said.

Syriza is still likely to fall short of a majority, and will have to enter into negotiations with smaller parties, in order to build a coalition government. Tsipras has repeatedly ruled out an alliance with New Democracy.

A Syriza source told Reuters that the party is likely to turn to the small right-wing Independent Greeks party, with whom it formed a coalition when the party first came to power in January.

Tsipras resigned last month and called new elections, to secure a mandate for the economic policies his government had signed up to in exchange for a €86bn (£62bn) bailout programme.

During his short spell in office, Tsipras battled with Greece’s creditors, before caving into their demands which had previously been rejected by the Greek people in a national referendum.

(Source: Greek interior ministry)