Athens - The Greek socialist PASOK party of Giorgos Papandreou is expected to win early parliamentary elections, according to opinion polls conducted in the run-up to Sunday's vote. Surveys suggest that the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will lose power after five and a half years in power.
Karamanlis called for early elections in at the beginning of September, after several scandals and amid a deteriorating economic situation.
It is not clear however whether the Socialists would win an absolute majority in 300-seat parliament and end up governing alone.
Polling stations were set to open at 0400 GMT Sunday to allow around 9.8 million voters to cast their ballots. Voting is compulsory in Greece.
The first exit polls are expected immediately after voting stations close at 1600 GMT.
Greece's conservatives won 41.8 per cent of the vote and 152 seats in parliamentary elections in September 2007. PASOK garnered 38.1 per cent of the vote and 102 seats.
Parties expected to pass the 3 per cent hurdle to enter parliament, include the Communist Pary of Greece KKE, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and the ultra-conservative People's Orthodox Alarm (LAOS).
Both Kramanlis and Papandreou have pledge to pull Greece out of economic crisis in the coming years and to root out corruption.
