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| Greek election: Tsipras asks for new mandate as parties prepare for tight poll - live updates | Greek election: Tsipras asks for new mandate as parties prepare for tight poll - live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.59pm BST12:59 | |
| Zoe Konstantopoulou, speaker of the Greek Parliament and candidate with the new ‘Popular Unity’ party, cast her vote earlier today. | |
| Konstantopoulou, who split from Syriza in July, then criticised the bailout programme agreed by her former leader, Alexis Tsipras. | |
| Konstantopoulou: Greeks are being threatened with criminal policies & threat of humanitarian crisis. #GreekElections pic.twitter.com/eAqJl4KkBZ | |
| Konstantopoulo: "Greece has made up its minds. The younger generation knows who betrayed them." #greekelections #ekloges2015_round2 | |
| 12.48pm BST12:48 | |
| Political veteran Glezos: Get out and vote! | |
| Helena Smith | |
| In the tradition of every Greek election, political personalities have been making statements as they take part in today’s election. | |
| Helena Smith our correspondent in Athens, reports: | |
| After casting his ballot in Athens, legendary leftist Manolis Glezos implored voters not to ignore what he described as a decisive election. “Today’s elections are definitive for the course of the country,” said the nonagenarian, for many the face of resistance not only against brutal German occupation but brutal German-imposed austerity. | |
| “All power springs from the people, belongs to the people and is exercised by the people,” insisted the political veteran who now heads the list of honorary state MPs fielded by the anti-euro, anti-austerity Popular Unity party founded by Syriza rebels in July, adding: | |
| “That has been the law down through the centuries and today it is exactly this issue that is being judged.” | |
| Glezos said it was crucial votes were cast in the name of the people and not in the name of the old regime who he said had made decisions without taking the people into account. | |
| With debt-crippled Athens’ ability for manoeuvre effectively choked by the bailout commitments it has now signed up to, many Greeks are questioning whether democratic procedures, starting with these elections, have any value at all. | |
| Glezos, who first shot to fame removing the Swastika from the Acropolis in 1941, has often been accused of political demagogy. But it is the pervasive and growing sense that the ballot box no longer has any meaning that is behind the large numbers of Greeks who have said they will be abstaining from the election. | |
| Updated at 1.00pm BST | |
| 12.41pm BST12:41 | |
| 12.25pm BST12:25 | 12.25pm BST12:25 |
| Donkeys at general elections? The jokes write themselves. | Donkeys at general elections? The jokes write themselves. |
| But farmer Aristidis Tsirikos had a serious message as he arrived to cast his vote in Nea Tyrintha about 165km (103 miles) southwest of Athens. He’s unhappy about upcoming austerity measures which will progressively double farmers’ income rate from 13% to 26%. | But farmer Aristidis Tsirikos had a serious message as he arrived to cast his vote in Nea Tyrintha about 165km (103 miles) southwest of Athens. He’s unhappy about upcoming austerity measures which will progressively double farmers’ income rate from 13% to 26%. |
| They’ll also lose a tax break on fuel, meaning Tsirikos could spend more time astride that poor donkey..... | They’ll also lose a tax break on fuel, meaning Tsirikos could spend more time astride that poor donkey..... |
| Updated at 12.26pm BST | Updated at 12.26pm BST |
| 12.15pm BST12:15 | 12.15pm BST12:15 |
| Greeks spend a lot of time voting, so it’s worth practicing from an early age: | Greeks spend a lot of time voting, so it’s worth practicing from an early age: |
| 12.13pm BST12:13 | 12.13pm BST12:13 |
| Greek tweeter Theodora Oikonomides reports that the local polling station in Petralona, Athens, is pretty subdued so far. | Greek tweeter Theodora Oikonomides reports that the local polling station in Petralona, Athens, is pretty subdued so far. |
| The area has been pro-Syriza since 2012, she tells me. | The area has been pro-Syriza since 2012, she tells me. |
| I don't think I ever saw my polling station so quiet and deserted. #Greece #ekloges2015 | I don't think I ever saw my polling station so quiet and deserted. #Greece #ekloges2015 |
| 12.06pm BST12:06 | 12.06pm BST12:06 |
| Once the dust has settled, Greece’s next government faces a race to implement the bailout plan agreed with its creditors. | Once the dust has settled, Greece’s next government faces a race to implement the bailout plan agreed with its creditors. |
| That has to happen before the eurozone will begin considering debt relief (the one ‘big win’ Tsipras achieved this year) | That has to happen before the eurozone will begin considering debt relief (the one ‘big win’ Tsipras achieved this year) |
| Task for election winner: About a third of the new bailout programme must be implemented in next 40 days #ekloges2015_round2 | Task for election winner: About a third of the new bailout programme must be implemented in next 40 days #ekloges2015_round2 |
| 12.02pm BST12:02 | 12.02pm BST12:02 |
| You can get up to speed on today’s elections with our comprehensive guide - explaining how Greece got here, and where the country goes next: | You can get up to speed on today’s elections with our comprehensive guide - explaining how Greece got here, and where the country goes next: |
| Related: Greek election 2015: everything you need to know | Related: Greek election 2015: everything you need to know |
| 11.49am BST11:49 | 11.49am BST11:49 |
| 11.49am BST11:49 | 11.49am BST11:49 |
| With Syriza and New Democracy both committed to implementing Greece’s bailout, voters are understandably unenthused by today’s snap election. | With Syriza and New Democracy both committed to implementing Greece’s bailout, voters are understandably unenthused by today’s snap election. |
| From Athens, Jon Henley explains: | From Athens, Jon Henley explains: |
| Whoever wins will have the same daunting to-do list, both leaders having already committed to implementing the draconian terms of Greece’s latest €86bn bailout: a radical overhaul of the country’s shattered economy and major changes to its welfare, pensions, health and taxation systems. | Whoever wins will have the same daunting to-do list, both leaders having already committed to implementing the draconian terms of Greece’s latest €86bn bailout: a radical overhaul of the country’s shattered economy and major changes to its welfare, pensions, health and taxation systems. |
| Fresh funds will not be released unless the cash-for-reforms programme is implemented, with progress – in the form of about 120 new laws by the end of the year – to be reviewed quarterly by Greece’s international creditors. | Fresh funds will not be released unless the cash-for-reforms programme is implemented, with progress – in the form of about 120 new laws by the end of the year – to be reviewed quarterly by Greece’s international creditors. |
| “It’s a strange election, very frustrating, profoundly undemocratic, because the big policy questions have been decided so we can’t express our political will,” said George Papanikolaou, a genetics lecturer, among a thin straggle of morning voters at a central Athens polling station. | “It’s a strange election, very frustrating, profoundly undemocratic, because the big policy questions have been decided so we can’t express our political will,” said George Papanikolaou, a genetics lecturer, among a thin straggle of morning voters at a central Athens polling station. |
| “It’s about micromanagement issues, not vision.” | “It’s about micromanagement issues, not vision.” |
| And that’s hardly a rallying cry to vote. | And that’s hardly a rallying cry to vote. |
| Here’s Jon’s latest dispatch: | Here’s Jon’s latest dispatch: |
| Related: Tsipras promises 'fighting government' as election-weary Greeks vote | Related: Tsipras promises 'fighting government' as election-weary Greeks vote |
| 11.42am BST11:42 | 11.42am BST11:42 |
| ND's Meimarakis: It's time to end the lies | ND's Meimarakis: It's time to end the lies |
| New Democracy’s leader Evangelos Meimarakis urged Greeks to end the lies and the misery gripping the country, as he cast his vote in Athens. | New Democracy’s leader Evangelos Meimarakis urged Greeks to end the lies and the misery gripping the country, as he cast his vote in Athens. |
| Meimarakis said: | Meimarakis said: |
| “Today the politicians don’t speak, the citizens speak. They speak with their vote,” | “Today the politicians don’t speak, the citizens speak. They speak with their vote,” |
| “And I think they want to do away with the grey, the lies, the misery .... And with their vote they want to bring truth and authenticity, so we can have a better tomorrow, a better tomorrow for all Greeks.” | “And I think they want to do away with the grey, the lies, the misery .... And with their vote they want to bring truth and authenticity, so we can have a better tomorrow, a better tomorrow for all Greeks.” |
| #Meimarakis : All #Greeks will tonight celebrate 'new #Greece' that begins tomorrow morning #GreekElections #ekloges2015_round2 | #Meimarakis : All #Greeks will tonight celebrate 'new #Greece' that begins tomorrow morning #GreekElections #ekloges2015_round2 |
| Meimarakis, a Greek political veteran, has had a pretty good election. | Meimarakis, a Greek political veteran, has had a pretty good election. |
| New Democracy have clawed their way back in the polls since the snap elections were called, even overtaking Syriza in some surveys last week. | New Democracy have clawed their way back in the polls since the snap elections were called, even overtaking Syriza in some surveys last week. |
| He pitched himself as a more experienced, safer pair of hands than the leftwing firebrand Tsipras, who has tried to paint Meimarakis as the embodiment of Greece’s sins in the past. | He pitched himself as a more experienced, safer pair of hands than the leftwing firebrand Tsipras, who has tried to paint Meimarakis as the embodiment of Greece’s sins in the past. |
| Here’s our profile of Meimarakis: | Here’s our profile of Meimarakis: |
| Related: Vangelis Meimarakis charms Greek voters: 'He’s not new, but he’s genuine' | Related: Vangelis Meimarakis charms Greek voters: 'He’s not new, but he’s genuine' |
| Updated at 11.50am BST | Updated at 11.50am BST |
| 11.32am BST11:32 | 11.32am BST11:32 |
| The FT’s Henry Foy is also stationed outside a polling booth, and reports that some younger voters have stuck with Syriza. | The FT’s Henry Foy is also stationed outside a polling booth, and reports that some younger voters have stuck with Syriza. |
| Meeting many young ppl outside #Athens polling stations who say voted @syriza_gr after agonising over it all wk. Good 4 @tsipras_eu. #Greece | Meeting many young ppl outside #Athens polling stations who say voted @syriza_gr after agonising over it all wk. Good 4 @tsipras_eu. #Greece |
| 11.29am BST11:29 | 11.29am BST11:29 |
| Today’s election lacks the drama of January’s poll, or July’s referendum, as Greece has now signed up its third bailout. | Today’s election lacks the drama of January’s poll, or July’s referendum, as Greece has now signed up its third bailout. |
| Voters have still been trickling to the polling booths through the morning, as Jon Henley tweets: | Voters have still been trickling to the polling booths through the morning, as Jon Henley tweets: |
| Voting at the First Pilot High School in Central Athens today #Greece pic.twitter.com/pNjm4pgvD8 | Voting at the First Pilot High School in Central Athens today #Greece pic.twitter.com/pNjm4pgvD8 |
| Voting at the 74th Primary School in central Athens #Greece #ekections pic.twitter.com/GAAu3vwPsj | Voting at the 74th Primary School in central Athens #Greece #ekections pic.twitter.com/GAAu3vwPsj |
| 11.22am BST11:22 | 11.22am BST11:22 |
| Tsipras: Give me a new mandate | Tsipras: Give me a new mandate |
| Alexis Tsipras has already voted in today’s election, in an Athens polling booth packed with reporters and cameras. | Alexis Tsipras has already voted in today’s election, in an Athens polling booth packed with reporters and cameras. |
| And after making his choice, the former prime minister vowed to keep fighting for Greece if he was reelected. | And after making his choice, the former prime minister vowed to keep fighting for Greece if he was reelected. |
| He urged Greeks to give him a strong mandate that will allow it to govern for a full four-year term, to: | He urged Greeks to give him a strong mandate that will allow it to govern for a full four-year term, to: |
| “continue with the same decisiveness, the same self-denial to fight the battles for the defence of our people’s rights, not only in Europe but this time within the country too.” | “continue with the same decisiveness, the same self-denial to fight the battles for the defence of our people’s rights, not only in Europe but this time within the country too.” |
| Tsipras also told reporters in the Kypseli neighborhood of Athens that: | Tsipras also told reporters in the Kypseli neighborhood of Athens that: |
| “I am optimistic...Tomorrow a new day starts.” | “I am optimistic...Tomorrow a new day starts.” |
| The polling station, like many across Greece, was sited in a local school... | The polling station, like many across Greece, was sited in a local school... |
| Alexis Tsipras casts his vote, in the background a child called Alexis' school drawer label #ekloges2015_round2 pic.twitter.com/IWll0SKK5U | Alexis Tsipras casts his vote, in the background a child called Alexis' school drawer label #ekloges2015_round2 pic.twitter.com/IWll0SKK5U |
| 10.51am BST10:51 | 10.51am BST10:51 |
| Introduction: Another Greek general election | Introduction: Another Greek general election |
| Hello. Greek voters are heading to the polls today in a tightly fought general election which promises, or perhaps threatens, to be nail-bitingly close. | Hello. Greek voters are heading to the polls today in a tightly fought general election which promises, or perhaps threatens, to be nail-bitingly close. |
| After just seven months of power, Alexis Tsipras called these snap elections to win a new mandate to implement Greece’s new bailout plan. | After just seven months of power, Alexis Tsipras called these snap elections to win a new mandate to implement Greece’s new bailout plan. |
| Will Greeks give their former prime minister another crack at the job? Or will voters, weary of austerity and dizzied by the dramatic events since January, place their trust elsewhere? Or simply stay at home? | Will Greeks give their former prime minister another crack at the job? Or will voters, weary of austerity and dizzied by the dramatic events since January, place their trust elsewhere? Or simply stay at home? |
| Tsipras has already tried to rally supporters, tweeting that they must choose their own future. | Tsipras has already tried to rally supporters, tweeting that they must choose their own future. |
| Today in #Greece, we're deciding on our future. Today the Greek people will choose how they want to live. pic.twitter.com/uO9qoeoE1N | Today in #Greece, we're deciding on our future. Today the Greek people will choose how they want to live. pic.twitter.com/uO9qoeoE1N |
| But the head of the New Democracy opposition party, Evangelos Meimarakis, has urged voters to reject Tsipras’s false promises”. | But the head of the New Democracy opposition party, Evangelos Meimarakis, has urged voters to reject Tsipras’s false promises”. |
| Meimarakis warned yesterday that: | Meimarakis warned yesterday that: |
| “We have no more room for experiments...Stability is needed and the immediate implementation of changes and reforms.” | “We have no more room for experiments...Stability is needed and the immediate implementation of changes and reforms.” |
| Syriza and New Democracy were neck-and-neck in the final opinion polls, so there’s all to play for today. | Syriza and New Democracy were neck-and-neck in the final opinion polls, so there’s all to play for today. |
| Voting stations opened at 7am (5am BST), and will close 12 hours later. Exit polls will then be released, giving the first clue as to how Greeks have voted. | Voting stations opened at 7am (5am BST), and will close 12 hours later. Exit polls will then be released, giving the first clue as to how Greeks have voted. |
| Firm results should come a few hours later, so we might know the winner by midnight Athens time (10pm BST). But if the vote is as close as the pre-election polls suggest, there could be days of uncertainty as leaders try to form a new coalition. | Firm results should come a few hours later, so we might know the winner by midnight Athens time (10pm BST). But if the vote is as close as the pre-election polls suggest, there could be days of uncertainty as leaders try to form a new coalition. |
| This is the third time this year that ballot boxes have been wheeled out across Greece, following January’s general election and July’s referendum on whether to accept the terms of a third bailout (Greece voted No; Tsipras then signed up anyway). | This is the third time this year that ballot boxes have been wheeled out across Greece, following January’s general election and July’s referendum on whether to accept the terms of a third bailout (Greece voted No; Tsipras then signed up anyway). |
| Whoever wins will face the challenge of bringing Greece’s economy back to normality, ending capital controls, and implementing the tough austerity measures and sweeping economic reform plans agreed with its lenders. Truly a daunting prospect. | Whoever wins will face the challenge of bringing Greece’s economy back to normality, ending capital controls, and implementing the tough austerity measures and sweeping economic reform plans agreed with its lenders. Truly a daunting prospect. |
| We’ll bring you all the action through the day, and night, ahead. | We’ll bring you all the action through the day, and night, ahead. |
| Updated at 11.32am BST | Updated at 11.32am BST |