BREAKING NEWS

Greek poll shows pro-bailout conservatives leading

ATHENS - Greece's conservative New Democracy party, which backs the country's international bailout, has retaken the lead from the anti-bailout radical leftist SYRIZA, a poll showed on Thursday, the first published since a new election was called for June 17.
If elections were held now, New Democracy would win 26.1 percent of the vote compared with SYRIZA's 23.7 percent, according to the MARC/Alpha survey conducted on May 15-17.
Based on this result, New Democracy would win 123 seats, the pollsters said. Combined with the 41 seats projected to be won by the Socialist PASOK, Greece's two major pro-bailout parties would command a 14-seat majority in the country's 300-strong parliament.
Polls last week had showed the anti-bailout SYRIZA placing first in the election, causing alarm across the EU. European leaders have said that unless the next Greek government is committed to the bailout, Greece would face certain bankruptcy and ejection from the euro.