Greek local elections national test for PM Papandreou
Baku, November 7 (AZERTAC). Greeks are going to the polls in crucial municipal elections.
The main political parties are describing them as a referendum on the socialist government`s handling of the economic crisis.
The austerity measures the government has imposed in return for international help mean local issues take back seat.
Prime Minister George Papandreou has hinted strongly that he may call a general election if his party suffers big losses.
This is supposed to be an election to determine who runs the recently enlarged and supposedly more streamlined local authorities.
But instead of parochial matters, the issue which dominates this election is Greece`s economic crisis, and the austerity measures the government has been forced to impose in return for accepting the enormous international financial bail-out package.
Although the prime minister and his Pasok socialist party have a comfortable majority in parliament, Mr Papandreou has warned he may call a snap general election, three years before his term runs out, if his candidates get a drubbing.
Talk of what many observers believe would be a completely unnecessary election has unsettled the international markets.
They fear political instability would threaten the austerity programme, aimed at reducing the deficit and national debt, and that Greece would be more likely to default.
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