EUROZONE-GREECE/VOTING-MORNING Greeks vote on bailout referendum

Record ID: 148352

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/VOTING-MORNING Greeks vote on bailout referendum
  • Date: 5th July 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 05, 2015)(REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE ACROPOLIS/MOON WOMAN EXITING CUBICLE WITH LITTLE GIRL AND CASTING HER VOTE ELDERLY COUPLE STANDING NEXT TO VOTING TABLE HAND OF ELECTORAL OFFICIAL ELDERLY WOMAN EXITING CUBICLE AND CASTING BALLOT VARIOUS OF BALLOTS ON TABLE BALLOT SHOWING 'NO' OPTION ON TOP AND 'YES' OPTIONS ON BOTTOM VARIOUS OF PEOPLE VOTING BALLOTS I
  • Embargoed: 20th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACFJA3YJ1GS7V6NB8INFVD2K71
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greeks voted on Sunday (July 5) on whether to accept more austerity in exchange for international aid, in a high-stakes referendum likely to determine whether it leaves the euro currency area after seven years of economic pain.
    People slowly began to arrive at an Athens polling station after it opened at 7 a.m. (0400gmt).
    "I am voting 'Yes', I am voting 'Yes'. I don't trust the other option", said Athens resident Kalliopi after casting his ballot.
    Staged against a backdrop of shuttered banks and threats of financial apocalypse, the vote is too close to call and may not produce the clear mandate for negotiations that Athens' creditors seek.
    "I hope the International Monetary Fund gets the hell out of here. I am strongly voting 'No.' I am sure my opinion is absolutely correct, " Yannis said.
    85-year-old pensioner Pelopidas and supporter of the Greek Communist party, travelled from Sweden to Athens to vote in the referendum.
    "I am hoping Greek people will leave this pack of wolves that Europe is. Both options, 'Yes' and 'No', are the same thing. Greece should exit this pack of wolves as soon as possible.," he said after casting his ballot.
    Under Greece's constitution, citizens living abroad are not entitled to vote in their country of residence.
    Voting on whether to accept more taxes and pension cuts would be divisive in any nation, even at the best of times.
    "First of all, I hope on Monday we will all be united. I can't tell you what result will be better. I believe people will make a clever choice," 45-year old Nikos, said.
    In Greece, the choice is faced by an angry and exhausted population who, after five years of crippling austerity, have now suffered through a week of capital controls imposed to prevent the collapse of the nation's financial system.
    Polls close at 7 p.m (1600 GMT), with the first official projection of the result expected at 9 p.m.
    Four opinion polls published on Friday showed the 'Yes' vote marginally ahead. A fifth put the 'No' camp 0.5 percentage points in front. All were well within the margin of error.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register