(Bloomberg) -- Greece will hold snap elections as early as June 30 after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras suffered a crushing defeat in European Parliament elections.

“The election result did not live up to our expectations,” Tsipras said in comments broadcast live on state-run ERT TV early Monday. He said he will ask the president for national elections as soon as the second round of regional polls is completed on June 2.

The national vote could signal the end of the road for the left-wing populist leader catapulted to power in 2015. Under him, Europe’s most indebted state fought with its creditors in a clash that almost resulted in the country’s expulsion from the euro area.

--With assistance from Antonis Galanopoulos.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eleni Chrepa in Athens at echrepa@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sotiris Nikas at snikas@bloomberg.net, Nikos Chrysoloras

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