Exit Poll: Conservatives Set to Win Greek Election (runing thread)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040307/wl_nm/greece_election_dc_4 ^ | march 7, 2004 | staff

[longtermmemmory]

Exit Poll: Conservatives Set to Win Greek Election 26 minutes ago Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek conservatives were poised to easily win a general election Sunday returning to power after 11 years of socialist rule, first exit polls showed.

Reuters Photo

Greece Votes In Landmark Election (Reuters Video)

A poll by privately-run Alter Television, released minutes after voting ended, forecast conservative leader Costas Karamanlis' New Democracy Party winning 44.5 to 47 percent of the vote, ahead of the incumbent PASOK socialists of George Papandreou with 38.5 to 41 percent.

[longtermmemmory]

It looks like the CONSERVATIVE party will get the 151 parlament seats to pick the prime minister. This is the New Democracy Party.

The Greek Prime Minister will be US born.

This is good news, as the Greek Ecconomy is one of the few in Europe that is growing. (4%)

More results to follow

[raloxk]

Big deal!!!!

Some countries like Greece are so hopeless anti-american that is doesnt matter. Wha twill change is that they will kick out a few immigrants

[AmishDude]

Yes. Lest we not forget, Jacques Chirac was a "conservative".

[longtermmemmory]

Greek conservatives poised to win back power after long spell in opposition
Sun Mar 7, 3:32 AM ET Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!



ATHENS (AFP) - Facing voter fatigue after almost 11 years in government, Greece's ruling socialists hoped to come back from behind and beat the advancing opposition conservatives as voting began in the general election.


AFP Photo



Pollsters expect a close race between the opposition conservative Nea Dimokratia (ND) and the socialist PASOK, in office since 1993 and for 19 out of the last 22 years.


The conservatives, led by 47-year old lawyer Costas Karamanlis, enter the race from the pole position. The last polls published two weeks ago showed them three points ahead of PASOK, which is led by former foreign minister George Papandreou.


The socialists were trailing the conservatives by around eight points in January, before outgoing Prime Minister Costas Simitis, 67, surprisingly bowed out from the party's leadership and passed the PASOK mantle to Papandreou, 51.


Any incoming government will have its work cut out for it. Deadlines are pressing to complete preparations for the August Athens Olympics and to see through talks to reunify the divided island of Cyprus, in which Greece and arch-rival Turkey are involved.


Papandreou has suggested ND is too inexperienced to handle both issues.


The conservatives promise to do away with public sector corruption and improve services and education.


The campaign, which had focussed on the economy and social issues turned nasty in the final week. PASOK officials accused the opposition of far-right links after claiming to have discovered ND operatives distributing "slanderous material" against Papandreou to Greek Orthodox priests.


ND officials denied the charges and spoke of a PASOK setup.


Papandreou is the son of PASOK's late founder and former prime minister Andreas Papandreou.


Karamanlis is the nephew of ND's late founder Constantine Karamanlis, who served as prime minister in the 1950s and 1970s and steered Greece into the then European Community in 1979.


Karamanlis took over his uncle's deeply split party in 1997. Under his leadership, the moribund ND embarked on reclaiming the political center from the socialists, who dominated it under moderate Simitis.


Nearly ten million Greek nationals aged 18 and above are eligible to cast ballots.


Voting began at 20,200 polling stations across the country at 0500 GMT.


Exit polls are expected to be released shortly after polling stations at 1630 GMT. Official results are expected late in the evening.


Under Greece's electoral system, the biggest party usually wins an absolute majority of seats in the country's 300-strong parliament, even if it beats the runner-up just by a handful of votes.


Voting is compulsory on penalty of sanctions, which are practically never enforced. Absence can be excused under special circumstances. The 2000 parliamentary election saw a 75 percent voter turnout.





Around 1.5 million voters reside in expatriate Greek communities in all corners of the world. Only a small part travel to their country to vote.

Voters cast ballots for a party and can express preference for individual candidates. But they can not choose between candidates running for different parties.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040307/wl_afp/greece_vote_040307083237

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I'm not going to rain on your parade. This is GOOD news. We'll see how it translates to US later. Hooray for now!

[Destro]

So as long as they are pro American in their policies they can be communists like the party that runs Poland? The same communist party that cracked Solidarity heads in the 80s now controls Poland.

[Tacis]

Yes, but doesn't rejection of the socialists and the selection of a conservative almost GUARANTEE trouble at the Olympic Games?

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I've always found it amusing that all other western countries call their socialist party by the correct term, while we cling to the outdated name of "democrats". Go figure.

Agree with the poster who said that Greece is likely to remain anti-american no matter what party gets in.

[WOSG]

Good news... the socialist/ conservative balance in europe goes in waves ... maybe this is a sign of further conservative strength in europe. They are getting sick of socialism too.

[ChadGore]

Viva Greece !

[AmishDude]

Sure. Actually it does matter and I suspect Greek "conservatives" are the best we can hope for. I wonder how much this has to do with the Olympics. (1) The planning is a mess and (2) maybe the Greeks want some adults in charge.

[raloxk]

We shouldnt for one second think that aside from the Torries, that European rightists have anyhting in common with american rightists.

they dont. They are as hostile to liberty and freedom and capitalism as the left is. Historically they are anti-immigration and pro-church/state relations, that is it. Becasue they are nationalistic, they are almost always anti-american

[AmishDude]

Voting is compulsory on penalty of sanctions,

And now we see why the Socialists do so well.

[longtermmemmory]

Can's speak to French governemnt. I don't deal with them. This is significant because it does prove that the anti-americanism is not strong enough to preclude the election of a US leader of their government.

The conservatives party has ruled the parlament but did not have the 151 of 300 to select the prime minister.

It is very convenient to have a few knee jerk "wacko-isms". Its easy to tear down, its easy to just accept the leftist disruptor protests. We question the lamestream media here, why are people willint to swallow hook line and sinker when a few illegals and communists have a protest.

The moveon rallys here were dismissed. You have to be positive. Look at the republicans, they have been dominant since 1992 and they STILL act like a minority. We have a better organization here in the states, it will take a while to rebuild the destruction caused by socialists.

It does prove that conservative ecconomic policies WIN elections.

[AmishDude]

That's not entirely true. The leftists in Europe are outright socialists and the rightists are not. Small favors. Small steps.

[raloxk]

I know that you are saying is ture in UK, Italy at least witht hte current govt and Spain with the current govt. But in France the right is as socialistic as the left

[longtermmemmory]

The socilists tried to pull a "lautenberg"

The dropped Simitis and put in the son of deceased former socialist prime minister. He was a pinch hitter selected because he was younger than simitis AND US educated. He was supposed to be able to compete with Karamalis' personal US assets.

The ecconomy in greece has 4% growth. Unemployment is high but less high than before. It has been very very painful because the transition from agriculture has not been smooth.

Make no mistake, Doctor's will still require they "gratuity envelopes" (bribes), building permits will still require lubrication (bribes), and govenement contracts will sill given selectivly (bribes). It will just be a move in a positive direction.

Besides, thanks to the olympics (no thanks to the socialists) Greece now has an entire highway system where there was NONE before, a new MODERN airport (no more walking down stairs, darn.). These are tangible results the people use. Its hard to believe the naysayers when an 8 hour road trip is now 4.

[AmishDude]

Sure. The Le Pen "right" is exactly as you describe.

[Destro]

My point is being a conservative does not mean all nations walk hand in hand. Democrats invented NATO and are fans of multilateral organizations that restrict sovreignty in favor of the collective. We need to be adult about foreign relations and realize that all nations especially conservative - right wing - nationalist - liberalists in the John Locke vain - are all about self intrest first. Greek hostility to America had nothing to do with economic politics of left wing or wight wing. The USA has consistantly backed Muslims in the Balkans so as to disrupt and prevent any Orthodox block from forming that would threaten Muslim Turkey. The Western powers always tried to do this (for 200 years or so) to of course to preserve a balance of power and keep the Russians out. When they failed to meddle in the Balkans there were 2 Balakan wars were the Balkan Orthodox united militarily to defeat Turkey and Bulgaria which of course threatened the status of the Dardanelles, etc, etc.

Talking about the Balkans makes me feel I am back in Kipling's era. It is a very complicated geo-strategis region.

[Destro]

corrected spelling: My point is being a conservative does not mean all nations walk hand in hand. Democrats invented NATO and are fans of multilateral organizations that restrict sovereignty in favor of the collective. We need to be adult about foreign relations and realize that all nations especially conservative - right wing - nationalist - liberalists in the John Locke vain - are all about self interest first. Greek hostility to America had nothing to do with economic politics of left wing or right wing. The USA has consistently backed Muslims in the Balkans so as to disrupt and prevent any Orthodox block from forming that would threaten Muslim Turkey. The Western powers always tried to do this (for 200 years or so) to of course to preserve a balance of power and keep the Russians out. When they failed to meddle in the Balkans there were 2 Balkan wars were the Balkan Orthodox united militarily to defeat Turkey and Bulgaria which of course threatened the status of the Dardanelles, etc., etc.

Talking about the Balkans makes me feel I am back in Kipling's era. It is a very complicated geo-strategis region.