Posted on 10/04/2009 11:05:17 AM PDT by Lorianne
The main opposition Socialists will easily win Greece's parliamentary election on Sunday, as voters angered by a faltering economy and a string of corruption scandals turned against Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' governing conservatives, exit polls indicated.
Initial nationwide results, with just over 8 percent of the vote counted, gave the Socialists 43.3 percent and the conservatives 36.2 percent, while turnout was at 67 percent.
Led by former Foreign Minister George Papandreou, 57, the Socialists will gain 41-44 percent of the vote, according to exit polls for Greek TV stations. If the projection is confirmed, the Socialists would be able to form a government with at least a slim majority of 151 seats — and possibly as many as 159 — in the 300-member Parliament, after more than five years in opposition.
Karamanlis' conservative New Democracy party is projected to finish in second place with between 34.3 and 37.3 percent of the vote, the polls said.
But party secretary Lefteris Zagoritis refused to concede defeat, saying it was too early to comment on the outcome.
In the last elections in 2007, the conservatives got 41.8 percent and the Socialists 38.1.
The government's credibility has been damaged by a series of financial scandals, including a land-swap deal with a Greek Orthodox monastery that cost the state more than euro100 million ($145 million) and forced two of Karamanlis' close aides to resign.
Rising crime and authorities' failure to contain widespread riots after the fatal police shooting of a teenager in December also undermined the conservatives' position, which the global crisis finished off.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
*ping*
Once addicted to the do-nothing, freebie culture of Socialism, its hard for the masses to break it.
To quote Maynard J. Crebs, “Work?!”
Out of the frying pan into the fire.
Probably better than a Chicago (Hawaiian?,Kenyan?) Marxist.
The left thrives on bad economies, which is why their policies make bad economies.
But I think Americans aren’t going to fall for that. 2010 will be a wake up call.
If I remember correctly back in the ‘60 Greece was on the verge of going Communist and still remains one of the farthest left of European nations. I think they will soon learn that electing socialist’s will do little to stimulate the economy.
Upset with a faltering economy? Why have an economy at all when you can utterly destroy it with socialism!
When people get desperate, then any kind of change has a good look to it. That’s why a strong middle class and fair playing field are so important. Or, a society can just let its financial markets run wild.
parsy, who hopes it doesn’t happen here
Other than tourism, a bit of agricultural production, what exactly *is* the Greek economy? OK, there might still be some shipping (Onassis remnants), but then...? I’m trying hard to think of any one world-market relevant Greek company...and I’m coming up short.
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