Outgoing Greek prime minister concedes defeat in elections

Alexis Tsipras, center, leader of Greece’s Syriza left-wing main opposition party surrounded by supporters arrives at the headquarters of his party in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. The anti-bailout Syriza party won a decisive victory in Greece’s national elections, according to projections by state-run TV’s exit poll, in a historic first for a radical left-wing party in Greece. AP PHOTO/LEFTERIS PITARAKIS

ATHENS, Greece—Greece’s outgoing prime minister has conceded defeat to the radical left Syriza party, saying he is delivering a country that has put the worst of its financial crisis behind it.

Antonis Samaras said he had received a country “on the brink of disaster” when he took over in 2012 and that he has set the foundations for growth and a definitive end to Greece’s financial crisis.

Anti-bailout Syriza, led by the 40-year-old Alexis Tsipras, won Sunday’s snap general election, but it was unclear whether he would have enough seats in parliament to form a government alone, or whether he would need the support of a smaller party.–Elena Becatoros