Greece's conservative government won a vote of confidence Saturday in parliament to start its second four-year term, two weeks after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' New Democracy party handily won the election.

The 300 lawmakers voted 158-142 to approve the government's policy statement after a low-key three-day debate. The vote went as expected, with only lawmakers from New Democracy voting for the government.

Mitsotakis' New Democracy won the June 25 election with 40.56 percent of the vote, compared to 17.83 percent for the left-wing Syriza and 11.84 percent for the socialist PASOK.

In the Greek premier's two speeches, the one with which he started the debate on Thursday and the one with which he concluded it on Saturday evening, Mitsotakis presented himself as strong on security, touting a massive arms procurement program, including a future acquisition of U.S.-made F-35 multirole combat aircraft. He also highlighted his tough policy on migration.

But Mitsotakis also positioned himself at the forefront of tackling the adverse effects of climate change, committed to continuing subsidies to vulnerable segments of the population while pursuing market-friendly policies. He said he would bring legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. Above all, he promised to modernize the often ineffective Greek state, especially the national health and justice systems.

He also stressed his confidence that Greece will achieve investment grade status this year, after about 13 years in the so-called "junk status." 

The government's main priorities also include further growth to address social inequalities, higher salaries and measures to combat unemployment, he said.

"We are determined to move forward on the path shown to us by the citizens with a series of 10 national goals over the four-year period," Mitsotakis said shortly before the vote.

Opposition speakers accused the conservative government of various shortcomings. Socialist leader Nikos Androulakis claimed it made use of information gleaned from the wiretapping of politicians' phones, including his, during the campaign, while stifling an investigation into the affair.

However, the wiretapping, a deadly train crash and the recent capsizing of a ship carrying several hundred migrants failed to influence voters' decision. In the end, it was the state of the economy, perceived progress and a desire not to see Syriza regain power that determined the election result.

(With input from agencies)