Early parliamentary elections started in Greece today. Polling stations opened for voting from seven o'clock in the morning local time, which is identical to Moscow time. According to pre-election polls, the coalition of the radical left forces SYRIZA, whose leader is former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and the center-right party 'New Democracy', led by the former chairman of the parliament Vangelis Meimarakis, will be main rivals. In addition, the party 'National Unity' will take part in the elections, it was created shortly before the elections by the left wing of SYRIZA, because they do not agree with Tsipras' position in negotiations with the European Union.
Citizens of the country will be able to cast their votes until 19:00. During this period, they have to choose 300 deputies to the unicameral parliament, who will work in this position for four years.
The decision on the dissolution of parliament and the organization of early elections was made by President of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos in late August, Interfax reminds. A little earlier, the Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras submitted his resignation, he lost his parliamentary majority after hardliners in the ruling coalition SYRIZA did not support the signing of an agreement with foreign creditors, according to which Greece assumed obligations on implementation of measures of budgetary austerity. Prime Minister resigned, along with the cabinet, stating that he had taken such a step in order to speed up the conduction of early elections, which would allow the country to overcome the political crisis.
If SYRIZA loses, the new government, which will be formed after elections, can unilaterally withdraw from those agreements that the ministers of Tsipras' government, who previously resigned from their posts, described as "enslaving". But then the European Union will no longer undertake efforts to keep Greece in the eurozone, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned on September 9.
It is assumed that the data of exit polls will be announced immediately after the end of voting at 19:00. You can find out the first results at 21:00.
