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Greek PM George Papandreou. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Greek citizens have gone out to vote for municipal authorities, in a vote that is seen as crucial for the support of the anti-crisis measures imposed by the cabinet of PM George Papandreou.
The local elecions have been particularly politicized after Papandreou declared that he will dissolve government and call snap general elections, should his PASOK party fail to obtain the majority of municipal positions.
The voting day is thus far proceding in a peacful and orderly fashion. Activity has somewhat increased after Sunday mass, but overall is expected to remain low.
The municipal elections are conducted in the context of a hasty reform in the administrative structure of the country introduced by the Papandreou cabinet to reduce spending, which has seen Greece's former 57 regions shrinked to 13, while municipalities reduced to 325 from 1034. The reform has also removed one level of local governance - that of prefectures.
Some municipalities have protested the move and vowed to boycott elections.
A criminal network linked to Bulgaria has been accused of defrauding dozens of elderly people in northern Greece through an elaborate telephone scam that resulted in losses exceeding 600,000 euros, according to Kathimerini.
The United States is expanding shipments of liquefied natural gas to Southeast Europe and Ukraine via Greece, according to remarks by the US Ambassador to Athens, Kimberly Guilfoyle
Greece has raised its minimum monthly wage to 920 euros as of today, marking an increase from the previous level of 882 euros, according to official information
Greece has reportedly expanded its regional air defense involvement, including measures linked to the protection of Bulgarian airspace, amid heightened tensions in the wider Middle East following strikes involving the US, Israel and Iran
Eurostat provisional estimates, cited by Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute, indicate significant disparities in GDP per capita across the European Union in 2025 when measured in purchasing power standards
A 23-year-old Bulgarian man has been arrested in Thessaloniki following a rapid police operation after a series of crimes committed within a short timeframe in northern Greece
A report by the Financial Times claims that Iran secretly obtained a Chinese-made spy satellite in late 2024, which was later used to track US military installations across the Middle East during the recent conflict
The International Monetary Fund has revised downward its outlook for the euro area, now projecting economic growth of 1.1% this year
US President Donald Trump said the conflict with Iran is “very close to over,” pointing to the possibility of a new round of direct talks expected to take place in Pakistan in the coming days
A shooting at a school in southeastern Turkey left 16 people injured after a former student opened fire before taking his own life, according to local authorities.
Despite the US-imposed naval blockade targeting Iranian-linked maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, several sanctioned vessels have continued to pass through the strategic waterway
The European Union has agreed on a major overhaul of its steel import regime, effectively doubling tariffs in an effort to protect domestic producers from what officials describe as a growing wave of low-cost foreign, particularly Chinese, exports
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