Skip to main content

UPDATE 2-Greek radical leftists score clear victory in EU vote

Greece's radical leftist Syriza rode a wave of anti-austerity anger to win the country's EU election but failed to deliver a knockout blow against Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's government, the official projection showed on Sunday.

In his first electoral test since coming to power two years ago, voters punished Samaras for harsh wage and pension cuts imposed at the behest of EU/IMF lenders bankrolling class="mandelbrot_refrag">Greece.

It was the first time a radical leftist party had won at a national level in modern Greece, though Syriza fell short of a five percentage point victory margin seen as jeopardizing a government clinging to a two-seat majority in parliament.

"Europeans are celebrating the defeat of the bailout and austerity in the country the European leadership turned into the guinea pig of the crisis," Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras said, reiterating a call for early elections.

"Democracy and respect for democracy demands seeking the popular verdict as soon as possible."

The official projection by the interior ministry showed the anti-bailout leftists winning by nearly four points with 26.7 percent of the vote, ahead of Samaras's New Democracy conservatives who were projected to take 22.8 percent.

"Government instability is not an issue despite the four percentage point gap," said Theodore Couloumbis of the Athens-based think tank ELIAMEP. "As a referendum on whether the government should stay or go, the answer given today was that the government should stay until further notice."

In a further boost for the government, which backs a deeply unpopular EU/IMF bailout tied to austerity measures, the co-ruling Socialist PASOK confounded predictions of a meltdown and looked set to secure a respectable 8.1 percent of the vote.

The two co-ruling parties managed a bigger combined share of the vote than Syriza, which analysts said averted the possibility of early elections for now.

"Two years ago, with your mandate we averted the worst for Greece. Today we averted the nightmare: going back to the ordeal we went through and which we are overcoming," Samaras said in a televised statement.

In an apparent election night prank, the fountain at the central Athens Syntagma square in front of parliament spewed bubbly foam across much of the square after soap was poured in.

FAR RIGHT SURGES

_0">

Syriza, which moved from the political fringes to become the main opposition in 2012 on a fiercely anti-austerity message, declared victory and said the results were a sign that the party was here to stay.

Syriza had sought to cast the EU vote as a referendum on Samaras's government, which in turn had urged Greeks to stay on the path of stability and promised that a long-awaited recovery from a six-year recession was taking root, pointing to the country's first bond sale in four years last month.

Much of Syriza's appeal has come from promising to reverse wage and pension cuts which has resonated in a country with unemployment over 26 percent.

"I voted for an opposition party because I wanted to send a message against austerity - to show that people in Greece oppose austerity," said Dimitris Koukos, 40, a lawyer.

_4">

Golden Dawn, the far-right party that denies accusations that it is a neo-Nazi criminal gang also surged on the back of voter anger. It was set to cement its place as Greece's third most popular party despite a government-led crackdown that has landed its leader and top lawmakers in jail pending trial.

_5">

Voters ignored an array of charges ranging from murder to extortion against party members to give it 9.3 percent of the vote, which would allow it to enter the European Parliament for the first time.

_6">

"We will continue our political struggle ... and we will score even higher in the next election," Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris said.

_7">

In local election runoffs that were held simultaneously, the government-backed incumbent beat Syriza's candidate to win the symbolically important Athens mayor race.

_8">

Early results showed Syriza and the government-backed incumbent tied in the race for governor of the wider Athens region, which is home to a third of the population.

_9">

Earlier on Sunday, Greece's anti-terrorism squad was called in after an apparent attack at the headquarters of the co-ruling PASOK party after two bullets pierced its windows, police said. (Additional reporting by George Georgiopoulos, Harry Papachristou and Karolina Tagaris. Writing by Deepa Babington, editing by Mike Peacock)

_10">

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o