Greek parties vie for an uphill task

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Greek parties vie for an uphill task

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Voters will decide fate of Greece in general election to be held on Sundy.

16 June,2012 07:50 am

Conservative leader Antonis Samaras told Greeks on Friday (June 15) they faced a stark choice between sticking with the euro or a nightmare return to the drachma in an election that threatens to send shockwaves through the single currency.Addressing supporters before Sundays (June 17) pivotal vote, Samaras pledged again to renegotiate the punishing terms of the countrys international bailout to promote growth and jobs, but said that to clash with the countrys European partners would mean the end of Greeces euro membership.The first dilemma we must decide upon is the euro or the drachma, Samaras told the crowd of several thousand waving Greek and European Union flags in the capitals central Syntagma square.Samarass New Democracy party is neck and neck with the radical leftist SYRIZA, whose youthful leader Alexis Tsipras is threatening to tear up the punishing terms of the 130 billion euro ($164.12 billion) bailout that is keeping Greece from bankruptcy.What is at stake in these elections is a change of economic policy in order to create growth and jobs, or catastrophe and afterwards a worse bailout agreement, Samaras said.Neither New Democracy nor SYRIZA is expected to win outright, and negotiations will follow to create a pro- or anti-bailout coalition government.Euro zone officials have hinted they might give a new Greek government some leeway on how it reaches debt targets set by the EU/International Monetary Fund bailout package, but there would be no change to the targets themselves.