Voter Turnout at Greece Snap Elections Remains Low in Athens

The voter turnout at the snap parliamentary elections in Greece varies by the country's ballot stations, still showing a tendency for low figures, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the ERT1 TV channel broadcast that the voter turnout was low in the Greek capital.

"The voter turnout is low. By 2:45 p.m. local time, there are only 118 out of 520 registered voters who have given their vote, about 300 have not come yet. I have not worked at ballot stations in Athens, I worked in other cities of Greece, but normally by this time, the turnout is usually higher," an election committee representative at one of ballot stations in the center of Athens told Sputnik.

"By now, about two thirds of the voters should have already come to the ballot stations, at least, we should have passed the 220-250 [voters threshold]," he outlined.

Another official at the same ballot station explained that there are two main reasons to have relatively low turnout by 3.00 p.m. In particular, many people in Greece vote in the towns and villages they originate from.

"This time the toll roads are not free on the day of the elections, and for some only the toll could cost up to 25 euros one way. And do not forget the petrol, which is expensive in Greece," he added.

At the same time, an election observer at another ballot station in Athens said the voter turnout is even higher this time, as compared to the turnout during the January parliamentary elections.

"By now [2:30 p.m. local time] 147 have already voted out of 520 registered voters at our ballot station. At January elections, we had about 200 voters by the end of the day, this time we are expecting to have about 220-230," the observer concluded.

Greek voters are currently electing a new legislature, as Alexis Tsipras resigned from the post of prime minister in August and called for snap elections to gain support for austerity reforms he backed to receive financial support from international creditors and keep the country in the eurozone.
 (Sputnik)
20/9/15
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