Greece will hold general elections in the first half of this year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday, rejecting opposition pressure for early polls over a wiretapping scandal.
Government sources had previously said the election, scheduled for June, would take place any time after April.
“The election will take place in the spring and at a time when we have practically exhausted our four-year term,” Mitsotakis said.
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Opposition parties are calling for the prime minister’s resignation and seeking early inquiries into a spying scandal that allegedly targeted politicians, journalists and business leaders.
Media reports say illegal spyware known as Predator was involved along with legal means authorized by a prosecutor.
Due to the electoral system of proportional representation, experts say that no party will achieve an absolute majority in the first round of the next election.
Recent polls have shown a lead of the ruling New Democracy party of around eight percent over Syriza, the main opposition party.
