Greece's outgoing Prime Minister Lucas Papademos expressed confidence Sunday that the country would have a new government by next week, as voting was underway in crucial parliamentary elections. "I believe yes," Papademos said, when asked by journalists whether he believed the country would have a government by next week. "The vote by the Greek people is the high point of democracy - and for these critical elections we will determine not only who wins but also what the course of the country will be for the future," he said as he cast his ballot in Athens. Polls show that neither the conservative New Democracy party nor the Socialist PASOK party, which have been part of the ruling coalition for the past six months under technocrat Papademos, will be able to garner enough votes to form a government, according to a report of DPA. In what is seen as the most critical and uncertain elections since democracy was restored in 1974, 32 parties are battling for the support of 9.9 million registered voters, with about 40 per cent undecided on the eve of the election. Interior Minister Tassos Giannitsis said everything was running smoothly five hours into the vote, with opinion polls suggesting that participation would be fairly high. In the last elections in 2009, voter turnout was almost 71 per cent. New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras said Greeks were voting for the future of the country, as he cast his ballot in the town of Pylos, in the southern Peloponnese. "The Greeks vote today for the future of their children - they vote for stability, growth, security and justice," he said. Socialist party leader Evangelos Venizelos, speaking from the northern port city of Thessaloniki, said: "These elections are the most critical for the country since 1974 - Greeks know the situation, the problems and the opportunities ... so we will wait to see which direction the country will be heading."
