Greeks head into general election

Greeks head to the polls on Sunday in their most critical – and uncertain - election in decades, with voters set to punish the two main parties that are being held responsible for the country’s dire economic straits.

Greeks head to the polls on Sunday in their most critical – and uncertain - election in decades, with voters set to punish the two main parties that are being held responsible for the country’s dire economic straits.

Such is the disillusionment with the socialist PASOK party and conservative New Democracy, which have been alternating in power for the last 38 years, that neither is expected to garner enough votes to form a government.

Days of wrangling over forming a coalition will probably ensue, with the prospect – alarming to Greece’s lenders and much of the country’s population - of another round of elections if they fail.

Public anger has been so high that politicians have been forced to maintain low-profile campaigns for fear of physical attacks on the streets in a country battered by business closures and hundreds of thousands of job losses.

The last opinion polls published before a two-week blackout ahead of the election showed PASOK and New Democracy haemorrhaging support since the last election in 2009.

Their support has reached historic lows, plunging to percentages last seen in the mid-1970s after the 1974 fall of the seven-year military dictatorship.

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Entirely dependent on billions of euros worth of international rescue loans from other European countries and the International Monetary Fund, Greece must impose yet more austerity measures next month, if it is to keep the money flowing and prevent a default and a potentially disastrous exit from the euro.

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras is expected to come in first, thereby benefiting from a bonus 50 seats in the 300-member parliament. But even with that he would fall far short of the 151 seats needed to form a government.

Opinion polls projected him winning not more than 25.5%.

PASOK, which stormed to victory in the last parliamentary election in 2009 with more than 43% and George Papandreou at its helm, has seen its support collapse over the past two years.

Now headed by former finance minister Evangelos Venizelos, it is fighting off a challenge by anti-bailout left-wing parties, with opinion polls projecting PASOK to win between 14.5% and 19%.

If that happens, it would be the lowest since November 1974, when the party won 13.5% just two months after being founded.

Venizelos warned that Greece faces default and mass poverty if voters back anti-bailout parties.

“Sunday will decide whether we remain in Europe and the euro, and we stay on a course that is difficult but safe, after having covered most of the distance, to finally emerge from the crisis and (austerity),” he said during his final campaign rally in central Athens on Friday night.

“Or it will (determine) whether we embark on an adventure, sliding back many decades and taking the country to default, to leave Greeks facing mass poverty.”

“This whole situation has destroyed our dreams,” said Haris Manolis, a worker at a steel factory where employees have been on strike for six months in protest at layoffs and wage cuts.

“We have no more dreams. We have one: to overturn them so that we can make new ones. That’s it.”

Up to an unprecedented 10 parties have been projected to win more than the 3% minimum threshold for a parliamentary seat.

That includes the extreme right Golden Dawn, which has been riding high on the emotive issue of illegal immigration, promising to clean up crime-ridden, ghetto-like city neighbourhoods and mine the country’s borders to stop more migrants getting in.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks
Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon
French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited