Greek politician in final push for votes

Greek politician in final push for votes

Parties in Greece are making their last pitch for votes ahead of a repeat election seen as crucial to the debt-laden country's future in the euro zone.

New Democracy, the pro-bailout conservative party which narrowly led at the ballot last month, holds its last big campaign rally today, Friday.

Syriza, the anti-bailout bloc which surged to second place in May, held its final rally in Athens on Thursday night.

Unofficial opinion polls suggest a fall in support for anti-bailout parties.

Under Greek election law, official opinion polls are banned in the two weeks before the election.

Challenges on the economy front

Tough austerity measures were attached to the two international bailouts awarded to Greece, an initial package worth 110bn Euros (£89bn; $138bn) in 2010, then a follow-up last year worth 130bn Euros.

While five of the seven main political groups reject the last bailout, only one - the Communists - wants the country to abandon the euro.

Germany, which has the euro zone’s most powerful economy, insists Greece, like other member-states which have received international bailouts, must abide by the austerity conditions.

German Bundesbank (central bank) chief, Jens Weidmann repeated the warning today, adding that the euro zone could not allow any country to "blackmail" it with the threat of financial contagion.

BBC/Sammie/Yinka