Time
May 7, 2012
In a deep repudiation of European austerity policies and the lawmakers forced to impose them at home, Greeks punished their ruling parties in parliamentary elections on Sunday and turned instead to an array of anti-bailout parties on the far left and right. PASOK and New Democracy, the two parties that have dominated Greek politics for nearly 40 years, received a combined 33% of the vote — less than half what they garnered during the last elections in 2009. The conservative New Democracy party came in first with about 19% of the vote, while the Socialist PASOK party, which won in a landslide in 2009, came in third with a humbling 13.4%. With nearly all precincts reporting, the two parties won a combined 150 seats, which was not enough to form a coalition government on their own.
"There is no working state in this country," said Socrates Mavridis, a hotel clerk in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, who said he voted for Independent Greeks, a new nationalist party that opposes the bailout. "The politicians are corrupt and only care about themselves. They don't care that we have no jobs, no hope and no future."
The surprise of the night was the strong showing by Syriza, a coalition of radical left and green groups. Led by Alexis Tsipras, a young, politically savvy engineer known for shouting down pro-bailout politicians in parliament, Syriza attracted many disaffected PASOK voters and finished in second at 16.6% — its best showing ever. Tsipras, who wants to cancel the bailout loan agreement Greece's leaders have signed with euro-zone countries, told supporters late Sunday that the austerity policies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel "have suffered a crushing defeat."
More
No comments:
Post a Comment