http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/55008
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 1. THERE WASN'T MONEY Pasok leader George Papandreou's statement before the 2009 general election that "there is money" was a mistake, his successor admitted in an interview on Wednesday. Speaking to Mega TV, Evangelos Venizelos also said that Pasok should have taken action from when it took office, in October 2009, noting that he was opposed to the appeal to call in the IMF. Commenting on the present election campaign, Venizelos said that he could envision participating in a coalition government without being prime minister, which he said contrasted with New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras' "obsession with the post of prime minister". 2. THERE IS MONEY The five parties elected in the 2009 elections have awarded themselves 10m euros to fight the May 6 campaign. The parties formed since the election (Democratic Left, Independent Greeks, Democratic Alliance and Social Pact) will not receive anything, but they will get guaranteed airtime on public and private television and radio. In March, parties paid themselves almost 8m euros for "education and research" and earlier this month voted to pay themselves two instalments of state funding in advance worth 29m euros. Wednesday's amount brings to a total of 47m euros drawn down by parties from state coffers this year. 3. NEW POLL Another opinion poll has found that up to ten parties will enter parliament after the May 6 election and that the two main parties are within reach of an overall majority. Based on a survey of 1,209 voters throughout Greece on April 11, the PulseRC poll, published in Wednesday's issue of To Pontiki, found that the parties can expect the following vote share (excluding abstentions and spoiled votes): New Democracy 22, Pasok 15, Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) 11, Communists (KKE) 10.5, Independent Greeks 10, Democratic Left 8.5, Golden Dawn 5.5, Ecogreens 3.5, Popular Orthodox Rally (Laos) 3, and Democratic Alliance 3. 4. SAMARAS New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras told supporters on Wednesday that the big difference between his party and the others is that "we want to change everything". "We are the party of growth and social cohesion. We guarantee recovery, the European identity [of Greece], social cohesion and political stability," he told the party's youth wing. During the speech, Samaras reiterated that his party was seeking an overall majority and that New Democracy was the "first to have said that we must retake our cities" from undocumented migrants. 3. AKIS-GATE Appearing before an examining magistrate on Wednesday, former Pasok minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos denied that he ever took a penny in bribes or kickbacks during his 25-year-long political career. “I have received no gifts or engaged in quid pro quo practices throughout my political career,” said the former defence minister, who is custody awaiting trial. In their testimony, others accused of involvement in the case either said nothing or denied culpability. 6. NEW SCANDAL They just keep coming. The closer the elections appear, more and more scandals miraculously come to light. The latest involves an alleged scam operated by hotels, tour agencies and people insured with farmers' insurance fund OGA. How did it work? OGA, like other social insurance funds, operates social tourism programmes, which allows its members take subsidised holidays in partner hotels around Greece. An OGA investigation has found however, that many closed hotels were listed as being involved in the programme. OGA sold their entitlements to go on social holidays to private tour agencies, who then passed them on to the hotels. Claiming that they had actually hosted OGA guests, the hotels then claimed that money from the fund. 7. EUROBANK Eurobank on Wednesday announced that the sale of shares in two subsidiaries and a buyback of outstanding debt would help boost its capital base by approximately 1bn euros and increase its liquidity. These include the sale by the end of the month of 70 percent of Polbank to the Austrian bank Raiffeisen and the sale of Eurobank Tekfen to Kuwait's Burgan Bank. 8. ARIS DOCKED Thessaloniki side Aris were docked three points and fined 40,000 euros, among other punishments, on Wednesday after their recent Superleague match with Asteras Tripoli was abandoned when a lineswoman was hit by a bottle. The Hellenic Football Federation's appeals body announced the decision after a prosecutor said the Superleague's original ruling was too lenient. The April 8 match was stopped by the referee in the 42nd minute when lineswoman Chrysoula Kourobilia was hit in the stomach by a bottle thrown from the home fans with the visitors leading 1-0. As well as being docked three points, Aris received a 40,000 euro fine and have been ordered to play one match behind closed doors. A 3-0 win was awarded to Asteras. 9. SUPERLEAGUE Playing away from their home in Piraeus, Olympiakos beat PAS Yiannina 4-0 in their Superleague game on Wednesday, while Panathinaikos beat Asteras Tripoli 2-0 and AEK Athens drew 0-0 at home against Atromitos. Other results: Panionios Athens Xanthi 1-1, Ergotelis Crete - Levadiakos Livadia 0-1, Panetolikos Agrinio - Aris Thessaloniki 5-1, PAOK Thessaloniki - Doxa Drama 2-0, Kerkyra - OFI Crete 4-1. Standings after 29 weeks of play: Olympiakos 70 points, Panathinaikos 63, PAOK 50, Atromitos 50 and AEK 47. and..... Ruling parties to get wafer-thin majority poll shows
The conservative New Democracy and the Socialist PASOK party, which both back the government of technocrat Lucas Papademos, have seen their ratings drop over recent months because of the unpopular austerity measures imposed in return for a new EU/IMF bailout. They would jointly win 37 percent of the vote or 151 of the 300 parliamentary seats - a result which would just allow them to renew their coalition, according to a survey by pollster Pulse for Pontiki newspaper. New Democracy would win 110 seats and PASOK 41, according to the survey, which was conducted on April 11-17. Another opinion poll published on Wednesday showed New Democracy and PASOK winning 158 seats combined. Eight other parties would pass the 3 percent threshold to enter parliament, the Pulse survey showed, as austerity-hit Greeks turn to fringe parties opposing the bailout. Seven of the smaller parties that the poll sees entering parliament oppose the austerity plan. They include the extreme right Golden Dawn party, which, the poll showed, would win 15 seats with 5.5 percent of the vote. The Democratic Alliance, a small centre-right party backing the bailout, would win eight seats with 3 percent of the vote, the poll showed. Political fragmentation may threaten efforts by the Socialists and the conservatives to form a coalition after the election and implement the prescribed austerity and reform. Although they oppose the austerity policies set out in the bailout, most Greeks want their country to stay in the eurozone. After almost two years of belt tightening, Greece is going through its worst recession since World War Two, with record unemployment and painful cuts in pensions and salaries. and.....
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