Greeks voted for the second time in six weeks in an election that may determine the fate of the euro currency as global leaders gather for their annual summit.
Exit polls will be released when voting ends at 7 p.m. in Athens, with a first official estimate due around 9:30 p.m. The final polls, published on June 1, showed no party set to win a majority. The election marks a revote after the May 6 ballot failed to yield a government.
With 21 parties on the ballot, the main contest pits Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, who has promised to renege on budget cuts demanded by creditors in exchange for a pair of bailouts, against New Democracy’s Antonis Samaras, who says his challenger is risking an exit from the currency union.
“Today, the Greek people speak,” Samaras said as he cast his vote this morning. “Tomorrow, a new era begins for Greece.”
The vote will turn on whether Greeks, in a fifth year of recession, accept open-ended austerity to stay in the euro or reject the bailout conditions and risk the turmoil of exiting the 17-nation currency. Group of 20 leaders begin their annual gathering in Los Cabos, Mexico, tomorrow, with France’sFrancois Hollande and Germany’s Angela Merkel opting not to leave for the event until after the outcome in Greece is known.
European finance ministers plan a conference call to discuss the outcome, with a statement likely to be issued around 10 p.m. Brussels time, a European official said under condition of anonymity.
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