City’s Greek expats feel ‘ a little bit of relief ’

The city’s Greek expats watched anxiously Sunday as results began rolling in from their homeland’s cliffhanger election.

Early exit polls showed Greece’s two traditional parties, New Democracy and Pasok, had enough seats to form a pro-Eurozone coalition government, encouraging hopes that a bailout could be on the way for the debt-stricken country.

“We’re feeling a little bit of relief,” said John Yannitsos, president of the Hellenic Society of Calgary.

“I think it’s critical that they’re able to form a government and create some political stability. Then you can take steps to have economic stability.”

Yannitsos was among a group of Greek-Canadians who spent part of the day at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, gathered together to watch coverage of the election on satellite television. Many of the 7,000 Calgarians of Greek descent are feeling “anxiety, frustration and anticipation” for friends and family back home, Yannitsos said.

Greece has been rocked by a financial and economic crisis, which has fostered high unemployment, poverty and political instability.

“I think Greeks came close to the precipice of not believing in a future,” Yannitsos said. “They’ve been beaten down by the austerity measures. At some point, there has to be a purpose to this hardship.”

Front-running parties New Democracy and Pasok have been locked in a political battle with leftist Syriza, led by the charismatic Alexis Tsipras, for the past few weeks.

The 37-year-old had advocated for an end to the punishing austerity measures Greece has endured for the last few years, prompting fears Greece could soon exit the eurozone.