Gov’t, ND brace for 2nd round of local, regional polls

Greeks go to the polls on Sunday for a second round of local and regional authority elections for seven regions and 217 municipalities, with conservative New Democracy hoping to build on its significant victory in European Parliament polls a week ago ahead of a snap general election next month.
Once again polling stations across the country are to open at 7 a.m. and close and 7 p.m., with the first predictions based on official results expected at around 9 p.m.
The most closely watched races will be for Athens mayor, where ND-backed Costas Bakoyannis is up against leftist SYRIZA's Nasos Iliopoulos, and Attica regional governor, where leftist incumbent Rena Dourou is being challenged by ND's Giorgos Patoulis.
Other key races include that for Greece's main port of Piraeus, where incumbent Yiannis Moralis will go up against ND-backed Nikos Vlachakos, and for the...

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