Final Greek Exit Polls Put Nea Demokratia Ahead of Syriza

The final results from Greece's second round of parliamentary elections has put conservative party Nea Demokratia (ND) at 29.9 percent with 131 seats, slightly ahead of extreme leftists Syriza which has 27.1%.

According to the final count, ND has 130 seats; Syriza has 71 seats, and PASOK has 33 seats. A party needs 151 seats to form a government, making an ND-PASOK coalition a likely scenario.

"Today the Greek people voted for our continuing presence in the Euro. There will not be any new adventures. Greece's position in Europe will not be threatened," said Nea Demokratia leader Antonis Samaras.

In earlier counts, Nea Demokratia (ND) and extreme leftists Syriza were neck-and-neck with ND having a slight lead, according to Alpha, NET, Mega and ANT1 television exit polls.

The lead was negligible at just 0.5 percent.

Fascist party Chrysi Avgi has 6.9 percent of the vote, or 18 seats in the Hellenic Parliament.

According to analyst Nasios Oreinos, the race was neck-and-neck, he said in comments to SigmaTV. The Greeks are not so much voting for Syriza as against their economic hardships, he said.

This is the second round of elections since earlier elections held in May failed to produce a government. The two mainstream parties ND and PASOK refuse to participate in a coalition with any extreme left or right-wing parties. On the other hand, leftists Syriza and extreme right-wingers Chrysi Avgi would also never work together as they absolutely hate each other.

The elections in Greece are also seen as indicative of whether Greece will comply with the terms of an EU bailout without which it could not meet its financing needs. Syriza's leader Alexis Tsipras has promised to get Greece out of the agreement, a stance that has alarmed the EU, which relies on the country's government sticking to agreed-upon reforms. Without fundamental economic changes, Greece can't reform its economy so that it becomes productive again, as in Ireland's case. But austerity has been hard on the Greek people and unemployment has risen to an all-time high with over one million jobless.

Another issue considered critical during these elections is whether Greece will turn its back on the Euro as a further knock-on reaction against austerity.

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