Greece ‘s political party leaders wrapped up their election campaigns on Saturday and prepared themselves for the voters’ verdict, either by visiting their party’s central campaign offices or meeting with journalists. Prime Minister and New Democracy President Antonis Samaras visited the ND campaign office in Syntagma on Saturday and appeared confident that the election result will favor his party, suggesting that the 14 percent of the electorate that has not revealed its intentions in opinion polls would finally back ND. Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras met with Greek and foreign journalists for a relaxed, informal discussion in a central Athens restaurant on Saturday afternoon. Tsipras said that he had carried out 11 tours in towns and rural areas throughout Greece over the last 15 days and had come across an upbeat climate everywhere, noting that this was the big difference with the elections in 2012 — that people were going to the polls feeling happy. He reported talking on the telephone with European Parliament President Martin Schulz earlier the same morning and again declined to open his cards regarding SYRIZA’s candidate for the Greek presidency, replying with a quip from Greek leftist politician Harilaos Florakis that “the best decisions are taken lying on your pillow”. Asked if he will ever wear a tie, he joked that he would wear one “when a debt haircut is achieved.” The head of To Potami, business owner and TV journalist Stavros Theodorakis, started off his day by visiting Potami’s campaign offices in Athens and Piraeus, accompanied by aides and party candidates, taking in the suburbs of Holargos, Maroussi, Nea Ionia and Kifissia and then heading south to Nikea, Korydallos and Ilioupolis before catching a flight to Chania, Greece, where he will cast his vote. PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos was already in his native Thessaloniki on Saturday, where he also had an informal talk with PASOK candidates, party officials and the journalists covering his campaign in a restaurant in the city’s Ladadika district. Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas visited the party’s campaign office in the Athens district of Kaisariani, where he was received by the local mayor, party supporters and party candidates. Among those present was the Greek popular music singer Giorgos Margaritis, who spoke with him briefly. Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos, who is a candidate in both Athens and the Dodecanese islands, spent the day on the islands of Kalymnos and Kos, where he spoke with local residents in the central markets. On Sunday morning Kammenos is due to arrive at the 138th election constituency on the island of Nisyros, where he is registered to vote, at 9:30 a.m. in order to cast his ballot. Democratic Left (DIM.AR) President Fotis Kouvelis, who is joint head of the Greens-Democratic Left alliance ballot, also chose to spend the day with the journalists covering his campaign tour, for whom he hosted a meal at a taverna in the Metaxourgio district in Athens. (source: ana-mpa)
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