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Greeks vote in high-stakes local elections
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Greeks vote in high-stakes local elections
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By Ingrid Melander and Harry Papachristou
ATHENS (Reuters) - Disgruntled Greeks went to the polls in local elections on Sunday that could trigger a national vote if they fail to give the government support for austerity plans meant to stem Europe's...
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Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou leaves a booth at a polling station at Nea Erythrea suburb north of Athens November 7, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Yiorgos Karahalis
By Ingrid Melander and Harry Papachristou
ATHENS |
Sun Nov 7, 2010 6:27am EST
ATHENS (Reuters) - Disgruntled Greeks went to the polls in local elections on Sunday that could trigger a national vote if they fail to give the government support for austerity plans meant to stem Europe's debt crisis.
Prime Minister George Papandreou has said he will dissolve parliament barely a year after coming to power if he is denied a mandate to pursue budget cuts and reforms agreed in May under a 110-billion euro EU/IMF bailout to save Greece from bankruptcy.
"I am not glued to my post. I am only interested in fighting for my country ... It's up to the citizens to decide whom they trust to govern the country," he told Ethnos newspaper.
"Citizens will decide in today's election if we will hold steady on the path of salvation ... or if we will go back to decay and to the Greece of bankruptcy," he said.
In polling stations around Athens, many voters said they were angry with the threat of snap elections, whether they were voting for a candidate backed by Papandreou's PASOK socialist party or not.
"I'm going to vote against the government despite voting for PASOK last year, I don't care if this means early elections. This was blackmail that was directed mostly at PASOK voters and I didn't like it," said Christos Nikoltsopoulos, a lawyer.
Others said they wanted the government to stick with reforms. "I voted for PASOK last year and I'll do the same now because I want them to continue with reforms. I don't want early elections. They're cutting our pensions and they have spare money to stage snap elections?" asked pensioner Poppi Yiota.
Papandreou has said he will base his decision largely on how his candidates perform in the first round of voting in 13 regions. He has not set a threshold for the support he requires, allowing ample room to maneuver in deciding whether to call a snap vote. He was expected to make statements late on Sunday.
Sunday's polls close at 1700 GMT. Official projections of final results were expected at about 1900-1930 GMT.
PAPANDREOU SEEN KEEN ON CLEAR LEAD
Some analysts said a PASOK victory was within reach but the media speculated Papandreou was seeking a lead of at least 4 percentage points over the main opposition conservative New Democracy party. Some said his comments were intended to fire up his party base while others believe he wants snap elections anyway to renew his mandate.
Pre-election polls indicated PASOK might lose in politically important areas including the Athens region, as voters vent anger at the austerity measures.
Nearly 10 million citizens and immigrants were eligible to vote in the first round of the municipal and regional elections. The second round will be on November 14.
The Socialists came to power on plans to boost welfare spending. But they were soon forced to switch to pay cuts, tax hikes and a pension freeze after a debt crisis exploded when they revealed state finances were much worse than expected.
Papandreou says he needs voters' support to continue on the austerity path but analysts warn he is pursuing a high-risk strategy that may put the fiscal program at risk.
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