Official results released by the interior ministry, with 97 percent of ballots counted, showed New Democracy taking 29.7 percent of the vote, with SYRIZA on 26.9. The PASOK Socialists were set to take 12.3 percent of the vote. Because of a 50-seat bonus given to the party which comes first, that would give New Democracy and PASOK 162 seats in the 300-seat parliament, in an alliance broadly committed to the 130 billion euros ($164 billion) bailout.

(HT: Rueters)

I congratulate Antonis Samaris for cobbling together a narrow victory in today’s Greek Election. He represented common sense and ratiocination in what appeared to be a world gone mad. As a Romneyesque Moderate Rightist, Samaris wanted to embark on the painful path of digging Greece out of the economic ditch and maintaining its ties to the Eurozone. He seems to be a cautious, risk-averse leader who will try to rebuild Greece’s image as a reliable and viable member of the modern world. He describes his interpretation of his narrow mandate to govern below.

“The Greek people voted today to stay on the European course and remain in the euro zone,” New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, 61, told jubilant supporters. “There will be no more adventures, Greece’s place in Europe will not be put in doubt.”

Samaris sent the perfect message. The adults are back in charge. If Samaris can assuage doubts that the rest of the world has about Greece being a trustworthy entity, he can do a lot to help the worldwide financial markets stop panicking. Compared to his opposition on the Far Right and The Neo-Marxian Left, Samaris is Pericles-reborn.

The principle opposition will be led by Alex Tsipras and The Marxian Syriza Party. Tsipras has been dubbed “The Scariest Man in Europe.” He is an avowed Communist who says that if Greece refuses to implement austerity than Europe will lack the testicular fortitude to refuse them all the bailout cash they need. He has refered to Greece’s debts as odious and thereby uncollectable.

Samaris is further strengthened by the fact that he has opposition to his right that has similar levels of mental retardation to Alex Tsipras. The Far Right Golden Dawn Party seems to have as many issues as it champions. However, Nikolaos Michaloliakos has become perhaps the most successful Nazi in politics since Francisco Franco did the world one final favor by assuming room temperature. His party took 6% of the vote and will enter The Greek Parliament.

He will thereby enjoy the opportunity to get in fistfights with women on more Greek political shows. Perhaps his party’s new slogan can be “I done told you to get me a beer and a sammitch.” With opponents like Tsipras and Michaloliakos to contend with, Samaris needs only to show up with a nice tie and proper manners to gain in stature from regular comparison.

In conclusion, the civilized world dodged a bullet with the moderately right-wing New Democracy Party pulling out a narrow win against the terminally insane Alex Tsipras. They will cobble together an unspectacular, bureaucratic and corrupt ruling majority. They will work with Germany and France to reach a deal that keeps Greece attached to Europe and the world’s financial markets out of the toilet. Contra the Great John Yeats, it appears that the center has held in Athens, Greece.