Conservative New Democracy leader Vangelis Meimarakis conceded defeat on Sunday evening just after 8.30 p.m. (local time), noting that the result shows a first-place showing for SYRIZA.

He congratulated rival Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA, and called on the leftist leader “to come to parliament and form the government he must form.”

In a bid to point to the “next day” for his conservative party, which will be the main opposition in the next Parliament, he said:

“In January many believed that we would implode and that they would ‘finish us’, nevertheless, we proved them wrong.”