Greek government leads in two main cities – exit polls

Counting has begun in Greece following the vote for new mayors and local leaders. Exit polls show that the party of Greek Prime Minister Kostantinos Karamanlis has a clear lead in Athens and Thessaloniki but may lose Piraeus.

The vote is seen as a test of his conservative government’s EU-prescribed economic reforms. The Socialist opposition, led by George Papandreou, is likely to gain Piraeus thanks to local support for a former basketball star running for office there.

Exit polls also show that the Socialists will retain control of the Athens-Piraeus prefecture where around half of Greece’s population lives.

Copyright © 2012 euronews