Former Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the frontrunner in June 25 elections, on Friday said he was suspending his campaign after testing positive for Covid-19.
“The hugs and kisses of the election campaign are always very pleasant, but sometimes they come at a cost,” Mitsotakis, who is vaccinated, said on social media.
“I’m positive, therefore I will need to stay at home for a few days,” he said.
Mitsotakis, 55, had been due to visit the monastic enclave of Mount Athos over the weekend, reportedly to shore up potential voter losses to a new hardline pro-Church party that could limit his gains in parliament.
Polls released this week showed his conservative New Democracy party leading its nearest rival, the leftist Syriza party, by around 20 points.
At the previous inconclusive election on May 21, New Democracy beat Syriza by over 20 points but fell five seats short of a majority in the 300-seat parliament.
The June 25 election will be held under a newly introduced system that grants the winner a bonus of up to 50 points, facilitating efforts to form a single-party government.
