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After SYRIZA's landslide victory, while awaiting the first official results of the elections, GRReporter talked with Yannis Bournous – a member of the party's political bureau, responsible for European policy, international relations, defence and the Greek Diaspora – about the possible government coalitions, the likelihood of further disintegration among the radical left and even new elections in the coming months.

Mr. Bournous, what are the possible government coalitions according to the results of the elections that are known so far?

Firstly, I would like to point out that the majority of Greek society has rewarded SYRIZA for its fighting spirit (in connection with the signing of the third bailout memorandum – author's note), although we are now forced to implement this severe accord. What matters for us is the fact that the country will again have a cabinet with SYRIZA as the backbone and Alexis Tsipras as the PM.

Thereafter, if we are to identify the possible government coalitions, we will have to wait for the official election results, which will show us which parties will make it into parliament and how many seats each one of them will have. Making a government coalition has two sides. The first and foremost of which is the political agreement underpinning the future cabinet, and the second one - the mathematical element, i.e. the number of seats each party has won.

Nevertheless, SYRIZA's bodies are responsible for the composition of the new cabinet. They might even meet tomorrow, if necessary, to decide whether to reform the existing coalition. I.e. whether we have to coalesce with another party, apart from the Independent Greeks. Our bodies will meet and will decide in a democratic way.

It seems that the seats of the Independent Greeks won't give you a parliamentary majority. Which parties would you form a coalition with and which ones would you avoid?

I don't quite subscribe to your estimate. It is still early days to say how seats will be allocated. In this context, I'd like to remind you that until a few hours ago it seemed apparent that the Independent Greeks would not make it. But finally it turned out they comfortably crossed the barrier. As I said, we will have to wait for the final seat numbers.

However, I would like to emphasize that even before the elections Syriza was adamant it wouldn't coalesce with New Democracy. This is the party that played a leading role in destroying the country over the past five years. All other decisions will have to be taken by SYRIZA's bodies. Hence, I can't give you a definite answer now.

Are there concerns that the next critical vote on budget austerity measures in parliament might not be supported by some SYRIZA MPs? Is the party united around its leadership?

I think that SYRIZA's recent split, along with today's less than stunning result, which is partly due to the split, is rather meaningful for each side in it. The fact that Panagiotis Lafazanis' party may not make it into parliament shows that the left-wing and progressive Greeks can properly assess the situation. Lafazanis' result so far shows that the left-wing constituents have punished SYRIZA's disunity. I think this is a useful lesson for everybody.

Quite a few pundits have argued that another snap election may not be ruled out in the coming months. Former State Minister Nikos Pappas also said something to this effect in a pre-election statement. How likely is it and what will it depend on?

In a country where the crisis cuts so deep and the serious issues go far beyond the economy, it is our goal to retain political stability. It is a priority for SYRIZA to form a cabinet and thus make sure we won't have to hold new elections any time soon. We are optimistic that we will be able to achieve this.