GREECE: Greek Prime Minister makes last attempt to woo voters in large Athens rally

Record ID: 215734

  • Title: GREECE: Greek Prime Minister makes last attempt to woo voters in large Athens rally
  • Date: 3rd October 2009
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (OCTOBER 2, 2009) (REUTERS) OVERHEAD VIEW OF BALLOONS BEING RELEASED INTO THE AIR AT NEW DEMOCRACY PARTY RALLY ATTENDED BY THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS SUPPORTERS WAVING SCORES OF FLAGS AND FLARES RED FLARES HELD BY PARTY SUPPORTERS AS SMOKE FILLS AIR KARAMANLIS WAVING TO SUPPORTERS AMIDST SMOKE FROM LIT FLARES SEA OF PARTY FLAGS BEING WAVED OVERHEAD VIEW O
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9TUKQ2TGX5U0T4DWWZNRU9AEN
  • Story Text: Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis holds final election campaign rally to woo voters before elections.
    Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis made a final attempt to woo voters in his final campaign rally on Friday (October 2) as his party trailed in opinion polls behind the opposition before elections.
    "Victory is in our grasp, it is our hands, let go together towards victory, we can all do it together," he shouted from a podium to thousands of party supporters who filled the Athens streets waving flags and cheering as smoke from flares filled the air.
    In a last-ditch effort to bridge the gap ahead of Sunday, Karamanlis' conservatives are focusing their efforts on rallying traditional long time supporters.
    Despite public disappointment in the governing New Democracy party Karamanlis has stuck to his policies which include tough economic measures unpopular with the weaker classes.
    Karamanlis has been aggressively campaigning that his party's economic plan is the safest and most reliable, criticising the opposition socialists of promoting an irresponsible program that will harm the economy.
    When Karamanlis was first voted in in 2004 there was public euphoria by voters tired of 11 years of socialist rule. But his term was plagued by corruption, protests over economic and education reforms, and the mishandling of forest fires.
    His party scraped through a re-election in 2007. Hindered by a fragile majority in parliament, Karamanlis called a snap poll half-way through his 4-year tenure, asking for a stronger mandate to fight a sharp economic slowdown.
    On a personal level Karamanlis led opinion polls for most capable leader up until few months ago when opposition leader George Papandreou took the lead.
    Campaigning by all parties stops on Saturday, before elections on Sunday (Oct 4).
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