Greece Poll: Pro-bailout Party's Narrow Win Hailed
BBC: World leaders have welcomed the narrow election victory of Greece's broadly pro-bailout New Democracy party and urged Athens to form a cabinet quickly.

The eurozone group said reforms were Greece's "best guarantee" to overcome tough economic and social challenges.

European markets reacted positively, rising in early trading after Asia had also recorded gains.

The Syriza party, which rejected the bailout terms and came a close second, said it would lead the opposition.

With 99.9% of ballots counted, interior ministry results put New Democracy on 29.7% of the vote (129 seats), Syriza on 26.9% (71) and the socialist Pasok on 12.3% (33). There are 300 seats in parliament and Greece has a rule that gives the leading party 50 extra seats.

Greek voters had gone to the polls on Sunday following inconclusive elections in May. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said Greeks had chosen to stay in the euro and called for a "national salvation government".

Syriza's leader Alexis Tsipras said his party would not take part in the government, and would instead become a powerful anti-austerity voice in the opposition. » | Monday, June 18, 2012

Greek Election Favors Pro-Bailout Party
THE NEW YORK TIMES: ATHENS — Greek voters narrowly favored a pro-bailout party in parliamentary elections on Sunday, a result that is likely to calm world markets and ease fears that the country will leave the euro zone.

Official projections showed the conservative New Democracy party as coming in first, giving it the chance to collect enough support to form a pro-bailout coalition and keep Greece in the euro zone.

Late Sunday night, Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the leftist Syriza party, conceded the election and congratulated the conservative leader of New Democracy, Antonis Samaras. Syriza had called for a rejection of the loan deal that Greece had made with foreign creditors.

Though no party is expected to earn enough seats in the 300-member Parliament to form a government, official projections show that the two traditional parties — New Democracy and the socialist Pasok — would get enough seats to form a coalition. » | Rachel Donadio | Sunday, June 17, 2012

Greek Election Is Euro versus Drachma, Samaras Says
BBC: Sunday's Greek election is a choice between staying in the euro and going back to the drachma, the leader of the centre-right New Democracy party has told a final campaign rally in Athens.

The general election, the second in six weeks, is seen as crucial to Greece's future in the eurozone.

New Democracy broadly accepts the EU/IMF bailout of debt-laden Greece but wants changes to the terms.

Main opponents Syriza reject the terms of the bailout but back the euro.

Syriza surged into second place on 6 May, in an election that produced an inconclusive result, with no party or coalition able to form a government.

Unofficial opinion polls suggest a fall in support for anti-bailout parties.

Under Greek election law, official opinion polls are banned in the two weeks before the election. » | Friday, June 15, 2012