SYRIZA of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has earned 35.3% of Sunday's early elections in Greece - the biggest share of the vote, Interior Ministry data reveals. Current results, with 20 percent of votes counted (as of 21:30 EEST/20:30 CEST) a few hours after polls closed, also suggest a coalition government will be needed. But Panos Kammenos, the leader of SYRIZA's former coalition partner Independent Greeks (ANEL), has already announced it will join hands with Tsipras again. New Democracy head Vangelis Meimarakis has meanwhile conceded defeat as early results showed his party was trailing behind SYRIZA, garnering just 28.1 percent. "The election result appears to be forming comprehensively with SYRIZA and Mr Tsipras coming first," English-language Kathimerini quotes him as saying. Meimarakis also called on Tsipras to form "the government that is necessary" and bring a proposal to Parliament. Tsipras's result is below the minimum of 3.8% which under Greece's electoral law would have secured a majority for his party. SYRIZA, however, stands chances to enjoy a relatively comfortable majority in Parliament, with one projection giving in 144 seets compared to 75 for New Democracy (the winner of elections is automatically awarded a 50-seat bonus). Greece's legislature has 300 lawmakers. Results make Golden Dawn once again the third-biggest party in the country's Parliament, with 7.3% of the vote. Socialist PASOK comes fourth, at 6.5 percent, whereas Communists from KKE have mustered 5.5% according to the partial count. Several other parties have also made it beyond the three-percet threshold. These are centrist To Potami (3.77%) ANEL (at 3.73%), and the Union of Centrists (3.49%). Sunday's elections have been marked by a significant abstention rate - of 45.2% - compared to 36.4% in the January 25 snap vote.
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