Greeks vote: will opt for a radical change?

9.8 million Greeks vote this Sunday, January 25th to renew their Parliament. Early parliamentary crucial for the country and for its European partners, pay close attention to this election looming history. Why history? Because it may bring to power for the first time since the crisis in Europe, an anti-austerity party, Syriza, led by Alexis Tsipras. The radical Greek left coalition is given in the lead with more or less in advance by all the latest opinion polls.

How did it happen?

Economic crisis, debt, bailout troika (IMF, EU, ​​ECB), implementation of drastic reforms weighed heavily on the people ...

In 2012, a national unity government came to power led by Antonis Samaras, the conservative New Democracy party. PASOK and the Democratic Left participate. But the Greeks are tired of tightening their belts.

In short, after over five years of recession and economic rigor policy, Syriza won with a lot of promise for social change ...

December 29, 2014, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras had to request the dissolution of Parliament after failing to elect the New Democracy candidate for the presidency. The three towers in Parliament had failed to gather the necessary 180 votes.

And by decree on 31 December, the President Karolos Paoulias announced the elections this January 25 and fixed the next parliamentary session to February 5.

This legislation marks the beginning of intense electoral weeks for the Greeks. They will be followed by presidential elections in February and perhaps a second legislative election in March for failures of parties to agree to form a government.

But let this Sunday. 300 MPs will be elected by proportional strengthened. The leading party has an additional 50 seats bonus. And only the parties together 3% of the vote may have seats in Parliament. Voting is compulsory in Greece, but the sanctions are never applied in the event of non-participation in the election.

Polling stations close at 18h and it is at this time that the first estimates will fall.

The "world" came to Greece following the event: 876 journalists are accredited, including 497 foreigners from 45 countries.