His chief opponent in the elections fight, the socialist Pasok leader George Papandreou, admitted defeat. "Pasok fought a battle and lost it," he said.

According to early results, New Democracy received 42 percent and Pasok 38 percent of the vote. The ruling conservatives lost about 13 seats in the country's 300-strong parliament but should get 152 seats which is enough for an absolute majority.

Greek citizens blamed both main parties for incompetence and lack of structural reforms concerning the wild fires in August. The handling of the fires overshadowed Sunday's elections, which were called six months ahead of schedule.

The main criticism revolved around years of delays in completing the country's land registry according to the model in place in all other EU member countries - with land ownership based on precisely mapped out areas.

Athens received substantial EU aid to finish off the project in the 1990s but had to return the money following delays and irregularities.

As there was no register, Greece over the years saw a rise in incidences where forests were burnt deliberately so that the land could later be used for property development.

According to experts, these trends contributed to the tragedy in August where 64 people died. The cost of the damage has been assessed at an estimated €1.2 to €4 billion.