Greek election updates

RESULTS: New Democracy - 29.66% - 129 seats , Syriza - 26.89% - 71 seats, Pasok - 12.28% - 33 seats, Indep. Greeks - 7.51% - 20 seats, Golden Dawn - 6.92% - 18 seats, Dimar - 6.26% - 17 seats, KKE - 4.50% - 12 seats. New Democracy will now most likely form a majority with the centre-left party PASOK.


 5:05 PM: Pasok (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) centre-left party will be in position to negotiate a political alliance with both New Democracy and Syriza to form a parliamentary majority. Small margin between ND and Syriza. It will be down to the wire:

* State-run NET TV exit poll: New Democracy 27.5 – 30.5 Syriza 27 – 30 Pasok 10 – 12 Independent Greeks 6 – 7.5 Communist Party 5 – 6 Golden Dawn 6 – 7.5 Democratic Left 5.5 – 6.5
* MegaTV poll: New Democracy 27.5-30.5 Syriza 27.30 Pasok 10-12 IndGreeks 6-7.5
* Star Channel exit poll: New Democracy 27-30, SYRIZA 26-29, PASOK 10-12, Ind Greeks 6-8, Golden Dawn 6-8, Dem Left 6-7, KKE 5-6

4:53 PM: Surge in last minute voting: all ages, but mostly young people that are more likely to vote for Syriza.

4:00 PM: One more hour until polls close

2:49 PM: The Guardian correspondent in Athens, Helena Smith:

I have just spoken to a senior cadre in the socialist Pasok party where polling results are being monitored on a two-hourly basis. "The next few hours are crucial as the rush to vote has only just begun among young people," he told me. "From now to the close of the election polling stations are likely to be packed."

Latest results, he said, show the conservative "pro-European" New Democracy party in the lead with 29% of the vote closely followed by the anti-bailout far-left Syriza party with 27%. Pasok is in third with 12%. The small European-oriented Democrat Left has around 6%. Support for the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which was catapulted into parliament for the first time since the collapse of military rule in 1974, was also at 6%. Figures for the communist KKE party and anti-austerity Independent Greeks party were not available.

Exit polls will be released at 7pm Greek time but with at least 15 % of voters undecided analysts have warned that it won't be before 9:30pm that "a clear result" comes through. 

2.36 PM: Stratos Safioleas on the Greek election system:

* So far it is expected that no single party will command Parliamentary majority (300 seats)

* The party that gets the most of the votes nationally receives 50 seats bonus

* For a party to enter the Greek Parliament it has to account for at least 3% of the votes.

Official results are expected to be released at 6:00AM London.