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Greek voters spell out their disapproval of austerity Voters back anti-bailout parties in Greece's local elections
(about 14 hours later)
Greek voters gave a clear sign of their disapproval of the government's austerity policies on Sunday , voting heavily in favour of anti-bailout candidates in local and regional elections that are widely seen as offering a foretaste of next week's European elections. Greek voters gave a clear sign of their disapproval of the government's austerity policies yesterday, voting heavily in favour of anti-bailout candidates in local and regional elections that are widely seen as offering a foretaste of next weekend's European elections.
Exit polls put candidates backed by Syriza, the radical-left party that is the main opposition, ahead in Athens and the wider Attica region, in what was seen as a major setback for the country's governing coalition. In its first test since assuming power in June 2012, Greece's conservative-dominated coalition suffered setbacks in Athens, the country's biggest municipality, and the wider Attica region where almost half the country's total population lives.
Before next week's much-anticipated European election, a Kapa research poll showed Gabriel Sakellaridis, the radicals' candidate for Athens mayor, leading by 1.8 percentage points over the moderate leftwing incumbent, George Kaminis. Gabriel Sakellaridis and Rena Dourou, candidates backed by the stridently anti-austerity main opposition Syriza party, both made it into next Sunday's runoff with Dourou leading by 1.37 percentage points for the post of prefect. Addressing supporters, the leftist described the result as a "historic day" for a nation ground down by years of recession and internationally mandated cuts.
In the wider Attica region, Rena Dourou, a rising star in Syriza, led by 7.4 points over her nearest rival in the two-round race to become prefect. "There is no precedent for a ruling party to be locked out of the second round in the Athens mayoral and Attica prefecture elections," proclaimed Alexis Tsipras, Syriza's fiery leader. "The message is that Greece belongs to no one but its people. Next Sunday can be the first day of a new era."
"It is a punishment vote and reflects the internal divisions within the ruling parties," Constantinos Routzounis, head of Kapa Research, told Reuters. "The following Sunday, we will see whether this vote has a deeper political significance." With the radicals openly advocating that debt-stricken Greece's EU-IMF sponsored bailouts be "torn up" – and urging voters to see the European election as a referendum on the accords – the outcome fuelled fears of renewed political uncertainty.
In a further shock for prime minister Antonis Samaras's two-party administration, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party also appeared to have gained support. Ilias Kasidiaris, the far-right movement's swastika-bearing spokesman – who was also contesting the Athens mayoralty – took about 15.5% of the vote with some exit polls suggesting he had come in third. Ilias Panayiotaros, Golden Dawn's candidate for Attica prefect, put in a similarly impressive performance, winning about 10%. Emerging a little before midnight yesterday from the offices of his centre-right New Democracy party, prime minister Antonis Samaras appealed for stability. "Next Sunday the process for local elections will be completed but next week we also have the contest of the Euro elections, a contest in which Greece must show it has the stability that it deserves and which it has won with the sacrifices of the Greek people."
The result is all the more surprising because the ultra-nationalist group, whose symbol resembles the swastika, is the focus of a judicial investigation that has already seen all 18 of its MPS being charged with "leading and operating" a criminal organisation. Government officials voiced concerns that with Athens only now emerging from its worst recession in modern times, Greece risked rolling back years of economic progress and reforms at an especially sensitive time.
But in a further shock for Samaras's fragile administration, the vehemently anti-austerity neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party also put in a surprisingly strong performance. Ilias Kasidiaris, the far-right group's swastika-bearing spokesman and its candidate for the Athens mayoralty, took 16.3% of the vote – not enough to slip into the second round but enough to make Sakellaridis, who did, declare that "democratic society should not be complacent".
Ilias Panayiotaros, Golden Dawn's candidate for Attica, gained 11.1% of the vote in a similarly impressive performance.
Nationwide, pollsters estimated that the far-rightists had picked up about 8% in what commentators described as a "worryingly high" result given that the ultra-nationalist group, whose symbol resembles the swastika, is the focus of a judicial investigation which has seen all 18 of its MPs being charged with "leading and operating" a criminal organisation.
Six of its MPs, including the party's leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, are in prison pending trial.Six of its MPs, including the party's leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, are in prison pending trial.
"The whole system got us into this mess and the whole system needs a slap," said Alekos Parathiras who once worked in the dockyards of Perama, where unemployment has reached record heights with Greece's economic meltdown. "Everyone I know is voting for Golden Dawn because they are starving and jobless." Although the country has recently returned to international capital markets – with the ruling alliance also announcing it had overshot fiscal targets by achieving a primary budget surplus – these improvements have yet to be felt on the ground.
Although the country long at the centre of Europe's debt crisis has recently returned to international capital markets – with the ruling alliance also announcing it had overshot fiscal targets by achieving a primary budget surplus – these improvements have yet to be felt on the ground. Greeks, who have lost about 40 %of their purchasing power since the start of the crisis, have repeatedly voiced discontent in polls. Greeks, who have lost about 40% of their purchasing power since the start of the crisis, have repeatedly voiced discontent in opinion polls.
Alexis Tsipras, the radical left's main opposition leader, called the ballot a referendum on the EU-IMF sponsored rescue programme that is keeping the Greek economy afloat.
"In these four years, austerity policies have caused the greatest humanitarian crisis the country has ever suffered," he told voters last week. "The government has called this dramatic situation a success story."
The 39-year-old politician, campaigning as the European Left party candidate to be the next president of the European commission, replacing José Manuel Barroso, has been credited with boosting his party at home.