Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-11-07

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Ballot boxes open for first round of local gov't elections

[02] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Ballot boxes open for first round of local gov't elections

This election introduces a number of new elements following the sweeping changes to the boundaries of local authorities under the Kallikratis plan, which greatly reduced the number of municipalities but also made them much larger, while abolishing the second-tier local authorities governing prefectures and introducing 13 elected regional authority governors.

The recent announcement by Prime Minister George Papandreou that a poor result for PASOK may lead him to consider the prospect of early general elections has raised also raised the stakes a great deal higher than is usual for a local government election.

In areas where there is no clear winner during the first round of elections, there will be a second round on November 14 at the same times and using the same procedure. (ANA-MPA)

If the vote fails to take place in a municipality or in one or more polling stations for any reason, another election will be held on Wednesday, November 10.

Those eligible to vote for municipal councils and mayors are Greek nationals resident in the municipality that are over 18 and registered in their municipality or community electoral roll, as well as nationals of any of the 26 European Union member-states that are over 18, permanent residents of Greece and registered in the special electoral rolls of the municipality where they reside (up until August 31, 2010).

Those eligible to vote for regional authority officials do not include EU member-state citizens, Greek expatriates without registry on election rolls and legal residents from third countries.

Those deprived of their rights to vote cannot vote in these elections.

Those that have no obligation to vote in the elections are foreign nationals, those aged over 70 and those that are more than 200 kilometres from the polling station where they vote (this must be certified by the municipality in the location they are in). (ANA-MPA)

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[02] Athens Newspaper Headlines

Sunday's first round of municipal and regional elections -- with the spectre of snap elections now hanging over the result -- expectedly dominated the headlines in Athens' Sunday papers.

AVGHI: "Landmark vote for future".

AVRIANI: "Negative vote to George (Papandreou, the premier) and to (EU-ECB-IMF) troika".

CHORA: "No to occupation. Vote against government representatives of the memorandum".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "We can do without the IMF. Vote NO to memorandum".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "We're in elections now".

ETHNOS: The newspaper banners a front-page election-day interview by PM George Papandreou, with the headline "We're not playing with the country's future".

FREE SUNDAY: "This is how they're (EU Commission) preparing (Greece's) 'controlled bankruptcy'."

KATHIMERINI: "What Mr. Papandreou is afraid of; the 'troika's' concerns".

PARON (weekly): "Election (bombs) to explode (today)".

PROTO THEMA (weekly): "They're chasing off 10 percent (of civil servants) via early retirement".

REALNEWS (weekly): "George's (Papandreou) dilemma".

RIZOSPASTIS: The communist party-affiliated paper banners a headline calling for votes of the candidates it backs.

TO VIMA: "They're (two major parties) afraid of (election-day) surprises, shunning snap election".

VETO (weekly): "Ballot boxes sending explosive message".

VRADYNI: "All of the new, painful (austerity) measures. How our lives will change with cut-backs".

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