Greece's conservatives oust ruling socialists

[Kooperman]

Greece's conservatives oust ruling socialists in elections

1 hour, 41 minutes ago

ATHENS (AFP) - Greece's opposition conservatives scored a convincing win in general elections, ending more than 10 years of Socialist Party rule as Greeks voted for change amid widespread discontent over low incomes, poor public services and corruption scandals.

"It is a new start for all Greeks," said Costas Karamanlis, leader of the conservative New Democracy party, said in his first televised speech as prime minister-elect.

With half of the vote counted, New Democracy had won 46.7 percent compared with 40.44 percent for the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) which has ruled Greece since 1993.

Exit polls released by Greece's television channels earlier predicted a comfortable win by New Democracy.

PASOK leader George Papandreou conceded defeat shortly after the exit polls were released.

"The party of New Democracy has won the election. I wish ND leader Costas Karamanlis good luck in his work," Papandreou, a former foreign minister, said in a televised statement.

According to projections, New Democracy will achieve a solid majority in the 300-strong parliament, running the country during the Athens Olympic Games (news - web sites) in August and seeing through talks aimed at reunifing the divided island of Cyprus, in which Greece and arch-rival Turkey are involved.

"All together, united, we will give our best, so that the Olympics will be the best and most secure ever," Karamanlis said.

"We will all together, united give the great battle to safeguard a just, functional and European solution to the political problem of Cyprus," he added.

On domestic issues, Karamanlis pledged to focus on education, culture and to establish a "genuine welfare state".

"The people have judged there must be a new government in Greece," said outgoing Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who stepped down as PASOK leader in February.

PASOK has governed Greece for 19 of the last 22 years.

But recent polls showed that voters were ready for change amid a widespread feeling among lower and middle classes that the fruits of Greece's perky economic growth in recent years were not being shared out evenly among all classes of Greeks, as well as frustration over poor public services. Charges of corruption in the state apparatus also abounded.

Trailing in opinion polls by eight percentage points in January, the Socialist Party tried to make a fresh start by surprisingly replacing its leader, Prime Minister Simitis, 67, with Papandreou, 51, then foreign minister.

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

Karamanlis is a 47-year-old lawyer and a nephew of New Democracy'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.

Under his stewardship, New Democracy has discarded its confrontational image that turned off Greek voters since 1993. Karamanlis has embarked on reclaiming the political centre from the Socialist Party, which dominated it under Simitis.

In the election campaign, Papandreou suggested New Democracy is too inexperienced to handle either Cyprus or the Olympics.

The campaign, which initially focused 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 New Democracy operatives distributing "slanderous material" against Papandreou to Greek Orthodox priests.

New Democracy officials denied the charges and spoke of a PASOK setup.

As the exit polls were announced Sunday, opposition supporters thronged in front of the New Democracy offices in Athens to celebrate.

"It's the end of the Socialists' grip on the state, the end of divisions between Greeks," said Andreas Nitsos, 51, a bank employee.

Sofia Yiarra, a 53-year-old farmer, brandished a Greek flag in the one hand and the banner of New Democracy in the other.

"Justice has been done to ND. Greece becomes blue (their traditional colour) again. PASOK had divided the country in two," she said, reflecting a widespread feeling that the Socialists Party favoured its own supporters in public sector jobs.

The exit polls forecast the Greek Communist Party (KKE) would be confirmed as Greece's third-largest political formation, receiving between 5.2 and 6.2 percent of the vote.

The Coalition of the Left (SYN), an ex-communist party, is fighting to become the fourth party in parliament, struggling to cross a three-percent threshold of the national vote that is required to hold any seats at all. According to the exit polls, its share of the vote ranges between 2.5 and 3.6 points.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...te_040307233611

[Kooperman]

On domestic issues, Karamanlis pledged to focus on education, culture and to establish a "genuine welfare state".

A little bit different than our conservatives in the USA.

Congratulations method, hope things will improve there.

[method77]

Nea Dimokratia USED to be the conservative party and Pasok USED to be the socialists. Now both parties have about the same policy. Nobody wants to continue "fighting" with Turkey, nobody wants to spent big money on weapons, everybody wants more money to be spent on education and social insurance. Since we are in the EU and use the same currency we have to follow a certain policy (that's not a bad thing). Both leaders and parties are ok but Pasok was in power for the last 10 years and fucked up on some things so the people decided to change them. That's a good thing.

There is a total of about 25 other parties that wants our votes but they get 5% or less.

[DudeAsInCool]

Hopefully, Method can book the celebration victory party.. :P

[method77]

I just closed up. It's 4 00 o clock here. Parties were not big like other times cause evrybody pretty much expected it.

Btw my feet are killing me. I was running like crazy all day serving. That's why I didn't pop in today. If I missed anything important, let me know

[method77]

official results (94& of the votes counted as we speak)

ministry of interior

[Malicious Intent]

I'm glad to hear that you got your way Method77. The article makes it sound like things have been rough recently.

Greece is about to be on show to the world. Make it a good one!

[method77]

All of Europe had a rough time adjusting to the new currency. We couldn't be any different. Things are ok though. We were just tired of that ugly little prime minister of ours lol

[Malicious Intent]

"All of Europe had a rough time adjusting to the new currency."

Perhaps we will grow some balls and join you one day. Stage 1 - Remember that we arn't a huge empire anymore.

[method77]

it's up to you. you get to vote for it right? Yes or no to the eurozone

[Malicious Intent]

We should have voted by now, but the whole Iraq thing got in the way. The problem with voting is that stupid people get to vote as well.

[method77]

true