Greece lightning: six things you need to know about Syriza’s victory

It’s official: Syriza, the Greek anti-austerity leftist party, has won the general election. With 98pc of the votes counted it is looks to have taken 149 out of 300 seats, just two short of an overall majority but still in a very strong position. Syriza is pro-EU but anti-austerity – so will soon face a confrontation with the Troika (the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund). Germany has indicated that it’s less worried about Greece leaving the EU, so won’t bend over backwards to accommodate demands. The brinkmanship will now begin.

Over the last four years Greece has suffered from a depression comparable to 1930s America, resulting in widespread discontent and national suffering. Unemployment, now at just over 25 per cent, has reached highs of 30 per cent, while youth unemployment is shockingly above 50 per cent. The country has the largest debt in the EU, measuring 177 per cent of GDP.