Shooting mars start of Greek voting
No injuries were reported after a shooting at a political party headquarters cast a slight pall over the start of voting in Greece for European elections and the second round of local elections on Sunday.
The outcome of the votes is seen as an important test for the austerity programme of the government. Hours before polls opened, unknown gunmen fired a round of bullets at the headquarters of the co-ruling socialist PASOK party in central Athens, smashing several windows.
No one was injured in the predawn attack. Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou condemned the attack, saying "all democratic forces will be used to shield the state against terrorism."
The elections, in which some 9.8 million citizens are eligible to vote, will decide 200 mayoral and 12 regional races across the country.
Only one regional governor and 100 mayors were elected in the first round of voting on May 18 by virtue winning more than 50 per cent of the vote.
Polling stations will close at 1600 GMT. Both the conservative New Democracy and its governing coalition partner PASOK suffered a setback as the far-left SYRIZA party scored gains in the first round of voting.
A critical test this time around will be the electoral battle for Greece's 21 representatives in the new European Parliament. Recent polls have shown the left-wing anti-bailout SYRIZA party to have a narrow lead over Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' conservative New Democracy party in both elections by 2.5-3.2 per cent.
Meanwhile PASOK, which won a landslide victory in 2009 elections, with 44 per cent of the vote has seen its support drastically drop to around 6 per cent. SYRIZA's leader, Alexis Tsipras, who is also the nominee of the European Left for president of the European Commission, is looking to use the poll as a referendum to force out Samaras' coalition government. He is calling for many of the austerity reforms demanded under the country's international bailout to be scrapped.
Samaras, who was elected in 2012, is hoping his ruling coalition can hang onto power to continue the bailout programme.
The elections take place as the country struggles to return to growth following years of unpopular austerity measures and reforms, while the unemployment rate has soared to nearly 27 per cent.
- Sapa