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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 12-03-25Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Samaras winds up visit to PortugalOn Sunday, Samaras was received in Lisbon by Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, with the latter, in his opening comments, expressing his best wishes to the ND leader in the upcoming general elections in Greece."I am convinced that the Greeks deserve a better government and a strong majority for a change in their country. Naturally, you (Samaras), are the right person for the job," the Portuguese PM said. On his part, Samaras noted that he returns from his trip to the Iberian peninsula convinced that Greece can expect to have two good friends, the prime ministers of Spain and Portugal. "Our destiny is common; common problems, a common concern for the economy, the need for growth and a need to eradicate illegal immigration," Samaras said, while issuing his best wishes to Greeks around the world on the twin holiday of March 25, one honoring the Greek War of Independence and the religious holiday of the Annunciation of the Theotokos (Evangelismos). [02] Latest polls indicate high abstention rateAMNA--Fluidity, a prospect for an eight-party Parliament and a high percentage of undecided voters will probably decide the outcome in the upcoming elections, according to results of three opinion polls that appeared in a same-number of newspapers on Saturday.A Kapa Research opinion poll published in the newspaper "Vima" indicated a 3.8-percent lead by New Democracy (ND) party, which was preferred by 18.1 percent of respondents, followed by PASOK with 14.3 percent; the communist party (KKE) with 8.2 percent; the brand new Independent Greeks party with 7.2 percent; SYRIZA with 6 percent; the Democratic Left with 4.9 percent; LA.O.S with 3.6 percent; the ultra-rightist Chryssi Avghi with 3.4 percent; the Ecologists-Greens with 2.5 percent, the Democratic Alliance with 2.3 percent, and the undecided vote at 25.1 percent. amna To enter Parliament a party must gain more than 3-percent of the vote in the general election. In an MRB poll for the "RealNews" weekly, ND was preferred by 20.3 percent of the respondents, followed by PASOK with 12.1 percent, KKE with 8.6 percent, SYRIZA 7.9 percent, Democratic Left 7.4 percent, Independent Greeks 7 percent, Ecologists-Greens 3 percent, LAOS 2.5 percent, Chryssi Avghi 2.6 percent, Democratic Alliance 2.5 percent, and the undecided vote at 20.5 percent.amna In a third opinion poll, conducted by the MARC firm for "Ethnos" , ND was preferred by 17.8 percent of respondents, followed by PASOK with 13.2 percent, KKE with 7.5 percent, Democratic Left with 7.3 percent, Independent Greeks 7.1 percent, SYRIZA 6 percent, LAOS 2.5 percent, Chryssi Avghi 2.3 percent, Democratic Alliance 2.1 percent, Ecologists-Greens 1.9 percent, and the undecided vote at 28.2 percent. [03] March 25 parades held; protests reportedAMNA--The annual March 25 Independence Day was celebrated throughout Greece on Sunday amid the worst economic crisis to plague the country in recent memory, with the customary military parade through central Athens taking place as usual, albeit scaled-back, whereas a series of incidents were reported at parades in smaller cities.Last October's heightened protests during the annual "Ochi Day", against the government, politicians in general and against austerity measures, in particular, had erupted during the military parade in Thessaloniki. amna No protests were reported at the major military parade in Athens, although the worst incident occurred in Iraklio, Crete, where the parade was canceled. [04] New Acropolis Museum photo exhibitionAMNA--A photographic exhibition on the New Acropolis Museum opened on Saturday at the Hellenic Foundation for Culture (HFC) branch in Odessa, in the context of celebrations marking the anniversary of March 25, 1821 Greek revolution against Ottoman rule.The exhibition will include architects Bernard Tschumi's and Michalis Fotiadis' drafts, external views of the building and surrounding area, including the finds uncovered during construction of the new museum, as well as the interior of the museum and its displays. The exhibition, organised in cooperation with the New Acropolis Museum, will run through April 28. [05] Unofficial tourism season opens in CreteAMNA--The 2012 tourism season "unofficially" began in Crete on Sunday with the landing at Iraklio's airport of a charter flight carrying 103 German tourists from the Hanover area, an event that was marked by a special welcoming ceremony at the airport, complete with local delicacies and music by traditional Cretan performers.Sunday's charter flight by the carrier German Wings will be followed the same day by an Easyject charter flight from London, as the coming week will see the arrival of more flights from Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Israel. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |