Greek Elections: Exit Polls finals SYR 36%-38% ND 26%-28% -Live blogging from Athens

Almost ten million Greeks cast their vote on Sunday to elect a what it seems to be a new and furthermore an anti-austerity government. The snap elections take place 31 months months after conservative and pro-austerity Nea Dimokratia won the elections in June 2012 and formed a coalition initially with socialist PASOK and left-wing Democratic Left, to remains just in coalition with PASOK a year later.

The official term of ND-PASOK coalition government was to expire in June 2016. However, after the “bailout program review” negotiations of Greek government with the Troika failed in November 2014, PM Samaras accelerate the Presidential voting in December 2014 instead of February 2015. The government failed to elect the country’s next President in a Parliament voting, snap elections were proclaimed on December 30th 2014.

With the majority of Greeks tired from  and fed up with the strict austerity measures, suffering from wages and pensions cuts, and unemployment at 25%,  public opinion polls have forecast a win for left-wing SYRIZA that has pledged to write-off  of large part of the debt and renegotiate with the Troika, the country’s lenders the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank.

Ballot boxes are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 pm, the EXIT POLLS will be announced right after the polling stations are closed, so around 7:01 pm local time.

The perspective of left-wing SYRIZA winning the elections had hundreds of foreign journalists flocking to Athens  the elections. Unverified reports speak of 870 reporters from 45 countries.

When Alexis Tsipras went to the polling station in Kypseli district of Athens to cast his vote, the number of photo-reporters and cameramen was unprecedented.

Tsipras, cameramen and photoreporters

Live Blogging begins here:

6:45 pm

15 minutes of voting left

6:50 pm

Exit Polls are not elections results. 35 exit polls boxes have been set up in polliing stations in Attica and 65 in polling stations in other areas.

After voting, exit polls assistants ask the voters what they voted, what they voted in former elections and age group.

 

EXIT POLLS at 7 pm local time – updated with average %

1. SYRIZA (left-wing)      35.5%-39%  – average 37.2%

2. NEA DIMOKRATIA (conservative)  23.5 -27 % -average 25%

3. GOLDEN DAWN (neo-nazi)  6.4-8% – average 7.2%

3. POTAMI (ex tv journalist Theodorakis)   6.4-8% -average 7.2%

4. KKE (communists)   4.7-5.7% – average 5,2%

5. PASOK (socialists)    4.2-5,2% – average 4.8%

6. INDEPENDENT GREEKS (nationalists)   3.5-4.5% – average 4%

7. KINIMA (ex PM Papandreou)  2.2-3.2% – average 2.7%

ANTARSYA (extreme left)   0.6-1.06%

LAOS (nationalists)   0.6-1.6%

DEMOCRATIC LEFT (left)  0.3-o.7 %

OTHER: ca 4%

It is first time in history of Greece that that a left-wing party wins the elections.

It is the first time since 1974, that neither conservative Nea Dimokratia nor socialist PASOK wins the elections!

7:13 pm

first reaction by Nea Dimokratia “Exit polls are not results. We will wait for the official results.” (source: MEGA TV)

7:18 pm

There are a total of four exit polls conducted by four different companies.

Pollsters in several television channels estimated the number of seat SYRIZA can reach between 146-158 seats (incl 50-seats bonus).

Much will depend whether To Kinima the party of former PM Papandreou will pass the 3% threshold and enter the Parliament.

 7:20 pm

Difference between SYRIZA and ND is 8% – 14%

 7:22 pm

With an average of 7.2% both Golden Dawn and To Potami struggle for the third position.

 7:26 pm

It is not clear yet whether SYRIZA will manage to form a majority government. Theoretically it could form a government with 147 seats and the support of other parties.

7:35 pm

Nea Dimokratia’s defeat must be understood as “big”, as it managed to enlarge the difference to SYRIZa from 4% in European Parliament elections (May 2014) an average of 12% according to exit polls.

Now analysts wonder whether ND party officials would challenge otugoing PM and ND president Antonis Samaras.

They can indeed blame him for several wrong policies (unconditional austerity support, opening to far-rights) but they kept silent all this time.

7:45 pm

Parliament Seats distribution –  estimation according to Exit Polls results:

SYRIZA 146-158

ND 65-75

POTAMI 17-22

Golden Dawn 17-22

KKE 13-16

PASOK 12-15

INDEPENDENT GREEKS 10-13

KINIMA (Papandreou) 0-8

 7:51 pm

KTG’s crystal ball elections estimations were on January 23rd 2015

SYRIZA 35%-37/38%

ND 25%-26.5%

Golden Dawn 5.5% – 7%

To Potami 5% – 6.5%

KKE 4.6% – 5%

PASOK 4.2% – 4.5%

Independent Greeks 3.6%

“Not bad,” I dare say 🙂

 7:59 pm

SYRIZA’s reaction to elections: unnamed officials according to SYRIZA’s newspaper Avgi.gr

“It is a historical win for the Greek people who voted overwhelmingly against austerity, sending a strong signal to Europe, as it [the win] can be a springboard for change iin it [Europe]. SYRIZA undertakes the responsibility to form a government of social salvation, to implement the program announced in Thessaloniki and to negotiate tough in Europe. ” (Avgi.gr)

8:05 pm

SYRIZA official Thodoris Dristas expressed his confidence to the Greek Armed Forces and the Greek Police very short after the Exit Polls were published.

Odd that SYRIZA felt this need, if you ask me….

 8:10 pm

Short after the exit polls thousands started to flock to SYRIZA headquartes in Koumoundourou square in downtown Athens.

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SYRIZA members had started already in the afternoon to set up a podium for Alexis Tsipras outside the Athens University at Panepistimiou street.

I suppose Alexis Tsipras will hold his winner speech after 9:30 pm, when the first official projection of the elections will be out based on 25% of counted votes.

 8:25 pm

You can watch directly officials results as they come in in Greek Interior Ministry website and in English!

Click here

You have to pick up a “Dictrict” or “Party”

8:26 pm

Outgoing Minister for Citizen Prtection and Public Order sent some rot police squads outside the building of  state boradcaster NERIT (former ERT).  News anchorman Nikos Chatzinikolau told STAR TV, that there were fears former ERT employees might try to occupy the building and that there were rumors that people were gathering outside the state broadcaster.

Short after, I heard on MEGA TV that the riot police squads were removed and that just 3-4 policemen were around.

That’s the second odd news of the day…

PM Samaras closed own overnight ERT and fired 2,000 employees in June 2013.

 8:30 pm

Final EXIT POLLS

EXIT POLLS at 8:30

1. SYRIZA (left-wing)    36-38% 

2. NEA DIMOKRATIA (conservative)  26-28%

3. GOLDEN DAWN (neo-nazi)  6-7% – average 7.2%

3. POTAMI (ex tv journalist Theodorakis)   6-7%

4. KKE (communists)   5-6%

5. PASOK (socialists)    4.2-5.2% – average 4.8%

6. INDEPENDENT GREEKS (nationalists)   4-5%

7. KINIMA (ex PM Papandreou)  2.2-3.2%

ANTARSYA (extreme left)   0.6-1.06%

LAOS (nationalists)   0.6-1.6%

DEMOCRATIC LEFT (left)  0.3-o.7 %

OTHER: ca 4%

SYRIZA’s majority government will depend a lot on whether To Kinima, (Papandreou’s party) will enter the Parliament or not, pollster Nikolakopoulos told on Mega TV.

He estimated that with the final exit polls, SYRIZA gets 148-154 seats in the Greek Parliament.

Whether SYRIZA will form a majority government or not it is expected to finalize in the morning hours of Monday.

9:00 pm

Live blogging concludes here

KTG has been blogging since April 2010 about the disastrous effects of the austerity in Greek society.

Change has come tonight. We will see how this change will look like 🙂

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