Election results from Greece show socialist leader George Papandreou
has solidly defeated conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.
With
nearly all of the votes counted Monday, Mr. Papandreou's Panhellenic
Socialist Movement (PASOK) has about a 10 - percentage point lead over
Prime Minister Karamanlis' New Democracy Party. The results from
Sunday's election should give PASOK 160 seats in the 300-member Greek
parliament.
Mr. Papandreou, 57, is the U.S.-born son and grandson of former prime ministers of Greece.
He
has promised a $4.4 billion stimulus package to revive the national
economy. However, he told supporters Sunday "Nothing is going to be
easy." He added that economic recovery will take "hard work."
Prime
Minister Karamanlis conceded defeat and resigned as head of his party
when early results showed the opposition socialists had a significant
lead.
He had called the early election halfway through his
term, saying Greece needed a government with a clear mandate to deal
with its economic woes.
The ruling party had been stung by corruption scandals and voter discontent with the economy.
Conservatives
once loyal to Mr. Karamanlis also criticized the government's handling
of riots late last year, triggered by the fatal police shooting of an
Athens teenager.
U.S. President Barack Obama called Mr.
Papandreou Sunday to congratulate him on his victory. Mr. Obama said
he looks forward to working with the new Greek leader. The president
also sent well-wishes to all Greeks who participated in the vote.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
