Angered Greeks head to polls today in early election

ATHENS - Greeks head to the polls today to vote in a closely fought parliamentary election dominated by the prospect of painful economic measures and anger over the government's response to a wave of deadly and destructive wildfires.

The country's two main parties held a strong lead in polls just weeks ago, but now they fear voters could abandon them in protest.

The election, which is being held six months early, pits conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis - who swept to power in 2004 as the country's youngest premier - against a Socialist former foreign minister, George Papandreou.

The latest opinion polls have shown a surge in support for smaller parties, including one accused of harboring anti-Semitic and racist views. Such an outcome could result in a hung Parliament that might trigger another election, and both leaders were targeting disaffected voters.

"For the country to move forward, there is one crucial requirement: a stable government," Karamanlis told tens of thousands of cheering supporters at an election rally in Athens on Friday. "A government that takes quick and bold decisions for changes and reform. A government that gains strength from a powerful public mandate."

Papandreou, 55, heads the PASOK party founded by his father, late prime minister Andreas Papandreou, a charismatic leader best known for fiery anti-US rhetoric. Karamanlis's uncle was former prime minister Constantine Karamanlis, who first came to power in the 1950s.

The two families have alternated power in the past half century; except during the 1967-74 military dictatorship, a Karamanlis or a Papandreou led Greece for 30 of the 45 years of democratic governance since 1955.

Karamanlis, who celebrated his 51st birthday Friday, had seemed virtually assured of reelection when he called in mid-August for early balloting. His New Democracy party had led every opinion poll in the last six years - although it suffered from a bond-trading scandal this year in which state pension funds bought bonds at inflated prices.

But two weeks later, catastrophic fires swept across the country, killing dozens of people and burning more than 490,000 acres of land. His government was left reeling from accusations of incompetence and mismanagement in its response to the disaster.

"People here are really angry. They don't want to see politicians and are wrapped up in their suffering," said Giorgos Panagopoulos, a butcher from the fire- ravaged village of Platanos near ancient Olympia. "There is strong dissatisfaction with the governing party because in many cases, they could have stopped the fire and failed to do so."

The last opinion polls published before a two-week ban - and just after the fires - showed increased support for smaller parties, including the right-wing Popular Orthodox Alarm of Giorgos Karatzaferis. Karamanlis was still ahead, but only by a slim margin.

Karamanlis tried to appeal to wavering Greeks by ruling out forming a coalition with any other party if New Democracy does not win enough seats for a majority in the 300-member Parliament.

"This is not blackmail or pressure," he said, and emphasized that "there are no grounds for a coalition . . . with any of the opposition parties."

His rival also focused on the undecided. "I appeal to all citizens who are hovering between [the Socialists] and the Left. . . . We can all turn doubt into participation and positive action, protest into a force for change," Papandreou said Thursday.

Both parties have vowed not to push back the retirement age or cut pension benefits and have promised handouts ranging from tax breaks on new homes to new pensions for housewives and farmers. They have also pledged to push through difficult changes.

"The government that will arise from the elections of Sept. 16 must believe in the need for change and reform," Karamanlis said.

One of the toughest challenges will be overhauling the debt- ridden pension system. An attempt to overhaul pensions in 2001, when PASOK was in power, led to violent protests that almost toppled the government.

After the fires, the government announced a series of benefits, including cash payouts for anyone who lost property, and vowed to rebuild every burned home.