- Title: GREECE-VOTE/PREVIEW Greeks anxious over crucial vote that could trigger election
- Date: 29th December 2014
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (DECEMBER 29 2014) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING IN SYNTAGMA SQUARE IN CENTRAL ATHENS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, DIMITRIS GEORGAKOPOULOS, SAYING: "I don't believe there will be a President today. But in democracy there are no dead ends, so we will go to elections and the people will decide what needs to be done." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT, GEORGE PATOULIAS, SAYING: "I believe we are headed for elections, although I do not want elections, it is not the right time, the economy cannot take elections right now. But it will be difficult to elect a president today as the numbers don't add up." NEWSPAPERS HANGING 'TA NEA' NEWSPAPER HEADLINE READING (Greek): "JUDGEMENT DAY" ''EDITORS" NEWSPAPER READING (Greek): "THE MOMENT OF TRUTH" NEWSPAPERS HANGING 'DIMOKRATIA' NEWSPAPER READING (Greek): "THE DICE HAS BEEN CAST" VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT GREEK FLAG WAVING ON TOP PARLIAMENT BUILDING
- Embargoed: 13th January 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA44WT08BVM982AP4RA7SQJBAXX
- Story Text: Greeks on Monday (December 29), turned their attention to the country's parliament where Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras faces a vote that will decide whether the country goes to snap elections that could bring the leftwing Syriza party to power and derail an international bailout.
"Judgement Day" read a Greek daily, while one Athens resident said this was not the right time for early elections.
"I don't believe there will be a president today. But in democracy there are no dead ends, so we will go to elections and the people will decide what needs to be done," said teacher George Patoulias.
"I believe we are headed for elections, although I do not want elections, it is not the right time, the economy cannot take elections right now. But it will be difficult to elect a president today as the numbers don't add up," another Athens resident, George Patoulias, said.
In the most hotly contested vote for President since Greece joined the euro more than a decade ago, the result in the final round of voting is likely to be decided by a small handful of deputies.
If lawmakers fail to elect a successor to 85-year-old Karolos Papoulias, a snap election will be held within weeks.
Syriza, leading in the opinion polls, vowed again to renegotiate the joint European Union-IMF bailout bailout Greece needs to pay its bills and roll over its debt.
With financial markets watching closely, former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas, the only candidate in the race, will need 180 votes to be elected.
In the previous round of voting, he secured 168 votes, 12 short of the supermajority required.
Greek bond yields spiked sharply earlier this month after Samaras first announced that he was bringing forward the vote for President by two months in a bid to shore up support for his conservative/centre-left coalition.
Voting is due to start at midday (1000 GMT), with the result likely around an hour later. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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