The pro-bailout New Democracy party appeared poised to come out on top in Greece's national election Sunday, and quickly proposed forming a pro-euro coalition government.
With 37.4 per cent of the vote counted, official results showed New Democracy winning 30.5 per cent of the vote. The radical anti-bailout Syriza party took 26 per cent of the vote and the pro-bailout Socialist PASOK party captured 12.9 per cent.
Official projections Sunday showed no party would win enough of parliament's 300 seats to form a government. However, Greece's two traditional parties -- New Democracy and PASOK -- will be able to form a coalition.
"The Greek people today voted for Greece to remain on its European path and in the eurozone," New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said, adding that voters chose, "policies that will bring jobs, growth, justice and security."
PASOK's Evangelos Venizelos, who spent months negotiating bailouts as Greece's finance minister, said a government must be formed quickly and suggested one between New Democracy, Syriza, PASOK and the small Democratic Left.
"There is not one day to lose. There is no room for party games. If we want Greece to really remain in the euro and get out of the crisis to the benefit of every Greek government, it must have a government tomorrow," Venizelos said after results were announced.
Voters headed to the polls facing stark choices between backing the existing bailout package, or electing Syriza, which had sworn to radically alter the nation's economy and renegotiate the deal.
All eyes were on Greece Sunday to see whether the country would remain in the eurozone or would be forced to leave the joint euro-currency, a move that could have led to financial turmoil throughout Europe and the world.
If Greece were to leave the 17-nation EU and default on its loans, it could trigger other debt-riddled countries such as Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal to collapse, perhaps leading to another global recession.
Germany, Europe鈥檚 biggest economy and a major contributor to Greece鈥檚 two multi-billion-euro bailouts, welcomed the New Democracy party鈥檚 win.
If the party鈥檚 win is confirmed, Germany "would consider such a result a decision by Greek voters to forge ahead with the implementation of far-reaching economic and fiscal reforms in the country," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in a statement.
He said the austerity and reform measures aim to put the country back on the path of economic prosperity and stability.
"This path will be neither short nor easy but is necessary and will give the Greek people the prospect of a better future,鈥� Schaeuble said. "In order to succeed, the program requires political stability."
This was the country's second election in six weeks following an inconclusive ballot on May 6.
"People realize that it is a referendum in some ways on Greece's future in the eurozone," 麻豆传媒 London Correspondent Ben O'Hara-Byrne said Sunday from Athens.
But that didn't seem to weigh on the minds of voters who told 麻豆传媒 they didn't necessarily see their ballot in global terms, focusing instead on what they believe is best for their country, he said.
They're upset with the austerity measures, but voters are also worried about leaving the eurozone and losing the currency, O'Hara-Byrne said.
"They don't want to lose the euro," he said, adding many voters told him they were voting with their heads and not their hearts.
The vote was also marred by some violence after 10 men armed with sledgehammers and wooden bats attacked a polling station in Athens setting it on fire, police said Sunday.
Two police officers guarding the station were wounded, but no voters were hurt in the incident, which occurred about 30 minutes before polls closed at 7 p.m. local time.
Recent opinion polls published before a two-week pre-election ban showed the Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras running in a tight race with the New Democracy party.
With files from The Associated Press
