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Right-wing New Democracy and left-wing Syriza parties are almost neck-and-neck after Greek parliamentary elections, according to the first exit polls.

New Democracy, which broadly supports a European bailout deal, was one to two percentage points ahead of Syriza, which opposes the measure.

The outcome could decide Greece’s future inside the euro.

If the exit poll is correct, New Democracy should be able to build a majority coalition.

The government will be relatively weak, and will seek to change the terms of the bailout.

The election was the second in six weeks, called after a 6 May vote proved inconclusive.

On that occasion, each of the main parties tried but failed to form a coalition government.

New Democracy is thought to have polled between 28 and 30% of votes, with 27-28% for Syriza, one exit poll carried out jointly by five polling companies for the main TV channels showed.

An earlier version of the poll only 80% complete had the two parties virtually neck and neck, prompting fears of a hung parliament.

The latest projection would give New Democracy 127 seats, benefiting from a rule which gives the leading party 50 extra seats in the 300-seat chamber.

Right-wing New Democracy and left-wing Syriza parties are almost neck-and-neck after Greek parliamentary elections, according to the first exit polls

Right-wing New Democracy and left-wing Syriza parties are almost neck-and-neck after Greek parliamentary elections, according to the first exit polls

It gave the centre-left Pasok, its potential coalition partner, 32 seats, enough for a majority in the 300-seat parliament, with Syriza gaining 72 seats.

New Democracy could also invite a small left-wing party, Democratic Left, to join the coalition to reflect some of the anti-bailout feeling in the country.

With such a strong showing by Syriza, Greece could be in for an autumn of discontent by opponents of the bailout deal.

Another poll for a separate TV station gave Syriza a marginal lead.

Coalition talks will be expected to start on Monday.

Several smaller anti-bailout parties are expected to get between 13 and 21 seats.

Sunday’s vote is being watched around the world, amid fears that a Greek exit from the euro could spread contagion to other eurozone members and send turmoil throughout the global economy.

Tough austerity measures were attached to the two international bailouts awarded to Greece, an initial package worth 110 billion Euros ($138 billion) in 2010, then a follow-up last year worth 130 billion Euros.

Many Greeks are unhappy with the conditions attached to deals which have been keeping the country from bankruptcy.

Polls have shown most Greeks favor staying in the euro and all the main parties except the communist KKE say they will keep Greece in the single currency, but Syriza believes it can renegotiate the bailout deal.

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras has warned that rejection of the bailout would lead to a return to the drachma, but correspondents say a very large number of Greeks appear to have defied this pressure.

“Greeks voted with emotion and not with reason, this is why you see these numbers,” New Democracy supporter Evangelos Datsos told Reuters news agency after the initial exit polll results came through.

But Syriza supporters were confident of victory.

There is a subdued atmosphere in the Greek capital on Sunday night, with many people just at home, watching nervously on television.

Greeks are proud and therefore private when it comes to explaining their fears to foreigners, our correspondent says, but behind closed doors they are worried about what this means for their country and their futures.

 

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Greek main parties have suffered dramatic losses in the parliamentary election, according to exit polls.

The latest polls put centre-right New Democracy in the lead with 19-20.5% of the vote, down from 33.5% in 2009.

Centre-left Pasok is put in third place with 13-14%, down from 43.9%. Syriza, a left-wing coalition, is put ahead of it in second place with 15.5-17%.

Pasok and New Democracy, in coalition since last November, were expected to lose support to anti-austerity parties.

There is widespread anger across Greece to harsh measures imposed by the government in return for international bailouts.

Syriza opposes the government’s austerity measures.

The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party could enter parliament for the first time if the exit poll prediction of it winning 6.5 -7.5% of the vote comes to fruition.

Greek main parties have suffered dramatic losses in the parliamentary election, according to exit polls

Greek main parties have suffered dramatic losses in the parliamentary election, according to exit polls

The first official results are expected later on Sunday night.

“The truth is here – the reality of this result is that at the moment this produces no government,” said Theodoros Pangalos, outgoing deputy prime minister and senior Pasok official.

“It is not a question at the moment of who gets a little more or a little less.”

If no party wins enough votes to form a government, the winner will have to seek a coalition with rivals.

Coalition negotiations can take place over three days. If they fail, the party in second place can try to form a coalition, and if still unsuccessful, the third party will receive the mandate.

If still no coalition emerges, Greece will go to another election – a prospect which would alarm Greece’s international creditors.

The ability of any new government to carry on with the austerity programme will be crucial for Greece’s continued access to bailout funds from the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund – the so-called Troika.

Any political instability may prompt fresh questions over the country’s place in the eurozone.

Under the current plan, a further 11 billion Euros of savings in spending are due to be found in June.

Othan Anastasakis, director of south-east European studies at Oxford University, said it would be “incredible” if no party won more than 20% of the vote.

“This is really unprecedented,” he said.

“The whole landscape becomes even more unpredictable after the election. We don’t know if there will be a coalition or how long it will survive. I don’t see it surviving very long.

“Greeks are sending a very strong message abroad, which is <<enough with austerity>>.”

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