Greek PM asks president to dissolve parliament

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has asked President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to dissolve parliament due to the imminent expiration of the government's four-year mandate and set new elections for May 21.

This mechanism is stipulated by the Greek constitution.

The prime minister said that at the elections citizens will be able to assess the performance of the cabinet and decide who will continue to run the country, Lenta.ru reports citing local TV channels.

"The decree on the dissolution of parliament will be posted tonight and from tomorrow the clock will officially start counting down to May 21," he pointed out.

Sakellaropoulou accepted the request and hoped that the country would have a quiet election period.