- Title: GREECE-ELECTION/VOTE COUNT Syriza leads as polls close and count begins
- Date: 25th January 2015
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JANUARY 25 2015) (REUTERS) WOMAN EMERGING FROM POLLING BOOTH AND CASTS VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ATHENS RESIDENT LINA SAYING: "The only thing I hope is that Greeks have done the right thing so that the current situation does not get even worse." FIRST TIME VOTER, STUDENT ANASTASIOS KONTOPOULIS, CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) STUDENT ANASTASIOS KONTOPOULIS, 19, SAYING: "Hopefully something will change, it will be a spontaneous change, and perhaps will manage to do something for the better." BALLOTS INSIDE BALLOT BOX VARIOUS OF BALLOTS IN BOX ELECTION OFFICIAL PICKING UP BALLOT BOX, PLACING IT ON TABLE, UNLOCKING IT AND TIPPING OUT BALLOT PAPERS VARIOUS OF ELECTION OFFICIALS COUNTING VOTES MORE OF ELECTION OFFICIALS COUNTING BALLOTS BALLOTS STACKED INTO PILES ON TABLE EXTERIOR OF MEDIA CENTRE VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS WORKING AT COMPUTERS
- Embargoed: 9th February 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAB4PEULF98M4PWAESRLB27007Z
- Story Text: Polls closed in Greek elections on Sunday (January 25) with exit polls showing the anti-austerity leftist party Syriza on course to win Sunday's snap election by a large margin over Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' conservatives.
Exit polls showed that Syriza received between 35.5 and 39.5 percent of the national vote, ahead of Samaras' centre-right New Democracy party which took 23 to 27 percent, according to the poll by Metron Analysis, GPO, Alco, MRB, Marc.
With 9.8 million Greeks eligible to vote at almost 20,000 polling stations in schools around the country, voting was brisk in the capital Athens where people queued to cast ballots in what is being seen as a make or break election.
"The only thing I hope is that Greeks have done the right thing so that the current situation does not get even worse," said Athens resident, Lina, who expressed the hope of many austerity-weary Greeks.
"Hopefully something will change, it will be a spontaneous change, and perhaps will manage to do something for the better," said first time voter, 19 year-old student Anastasios Kontopoulis.
First results are due to be announced around 9.30 p.m. (1930GMT). If confirmed, the result would be enough to install 40-year-old Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras as prime minister at the head of the first eurozone government openly opposed to bailout conditions imposed by European Union and International Monetary Fund during the economic crisis.
Syriza wants to renegotiate a chunk of Greek debt and end austerity measures. That has spooked markets which fear a new financial crisis in Greece could push it out of the euro, though any broader repercussions for the bloc are expected to be limited.
The biggest party generally needs between 36 and 40 percent of the vote to win outright although the exact figure depends on the share of the vote taken by parties that fail to cross the 3 percent threshold to enter parliament. The exit poll indicated that seven or eight parties will make it into parliament.
Centrists To Potami and far-right Golden Dawn were tied for third spot with 6.4 to 8 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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