Greece’s election, which has captured the eyes of the world, is too close to call, with the conservative New Democracy party barely ahead of radical leftist Syriza in a vote that could decide whether Greece stays in the Eurozone.
A joint exit poll published as voting closed Sunday showed New Democracy taking betwe-en 27.5 per cent and 30.5 per cent of the vote. Syriza was essentially level, with 27-30 per cent, followed by Pasok Socialists taking 10-12 per cent.
Syriza has vowed to tear up the terms of an EU/IMF bailout package keeping Greece from bankruptcy, which could send the country crashing out of Europe’s single currency. New Democracy broadly backs the bailout, as does Pasok.
The party that comes in first secures a dividend of 50 parliamentary seats, which will be crucial to its chances of forming a new government. A Greek euro exit has the potential to unleash shocks that could even break up Europe’s single currency and plunge the world economy into chaos.