GREECE: Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos and outgoing Prime Minister Lucas Papademos cast their vote in what is expected to be a cliffhanger election

Record ID: 328869

  • Title: GREECE: Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos and outgoing Prime Minister Lucas Papademos cast their vote in what is expected to be a cliffhanger election
  • Date: 7th May 2012
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (MAY 6, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER LUCAS PAPADEMOS ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION VARIOUS OF PAPADEMOS INSIDE POLLING STATION REGISTERING TO VOTE PAPADEMOS GOING INTO VOTING BOOTH PHOTOGRAPHERS PAPADEMOS WALKING OUT OF BOOTH AND CASTING HIS VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER LUCAS PAPADEMOS, SAYING: "We all agree that these elections are perhaps the most crucial and today each of us is deciding not only who will govern the country but also Greece's path for the coming decades." REPORTER ASKS: "Do you believe a government will be formed in the following days?" (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) OUTGOING PRIME MINISTER LUCAS PAPADEMOS, SAYING: "Yes, I believe so." VARIOUS OF PAPADEMOS LEAVING POLLING STATION
  • Embargoed: 22nd May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6SH1E6USIEXLUNM1BSY6CA41O
  • Story Text: Socialist Party Leader Evangelos Venizelos cast his vote on Sunday (May 6) in his home town of Thessaloniki, saying it was a crucial vote which was too close to call.
    "Today is the most crucial day for the country for the course it will take. The image it will create since 1974. Greek citizens know that today they must decide as we do not have two rounds in Greece - one round to react and one round to decide. We have spoken to the Greek people with sincerity, we have told them the whole truth. Citizens fully understand the situation, the problems, the dangers and the prospects. The citizens' vote concerns us and we are waiting for their judgement with complete respect to democracy," Venizelos said after voting.
    The socialist party leader is running an uphill race trying to convince angry Greeks that deeply unpopular economic reforms are the only way to escape the worst crisis in decades. In less than three years, Venizelos' PASOK party has gone from a landslide election victory to fifth place in opinion polls, loathed by Greeks for imposing crippling austerity measures. Nevertheless, since taking over the party from his discredited predecessor George Papandreou in March, Venizelos has revived PASOK's fortunes, bringing it back up to second place in opinion polls behind conservative rival New Democracy.
    Both Venizelos and front runner conservative leader Antonis Samaras participated in a coalition government led by technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos which paved the way for the election after concluding a 130 billion euro bailout agreement and a bond swap with creditors that sliced over 100 billion euros off Greece's debt.
    "We all agree that these elections are perhaps the most crucial and today each of us is deciding not only who will govern the country but also Greece's path for the coming decades," said Papademos.
    As finance minister from June to March, Venizelos negotiated the second bailout that saved Greece from bankruptcy and bond swap, but to do so, he also had to agree to a stack of deeply painful fiscal measures that have bought demonstrators on to the streets several times in violent protests.
    It is likely that neither of the two main parties will clinch a majority and will have to form a coalition.
    A post-election alliance with sixty year-old conservative arch-rival Samaras will not come easily. Samaras wants parts of the bailout renegotiated to boost growth and bring Greece out of its worst recession in years. He insists on becoming premier.
    Venizelos would rather have a wider coalition with a third party prime minister and says he can convince lenders to spread the painful measures agreed in exchange for the bailout over three years instead of two.
    The last published polls showed PASOK coming second with about 14-19 percent of the vote while four smaller parties, all of them opposed to the bailout, are vying for third place with about 10 percent each.
    Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT) across Greece and will close at 7 p.m. (1600 GMT), with many voters making up their mind at the last minute.
    The first indication of the result is expected from about 1830 GMT but it could take many more hours to get the final outcome or even a clear picture under a complex electoral system that gives a 50-seat bonus to the first party.
    If no party wins outright, as is expected, the president will give the biggest group - expected to be New Democracy - three days to form a government. If it fails, the next largest party gets a chance and so on down the line. If they all fail, new elections would be called in about 20-25 days.
    Asked by reporters if he believed that a government would be formed, Papademos said: "Yes I believe so."
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