Greek Socialists Gain Election Victory

Simitis Waves to Supporters

Greece's socialist party eked out a paper-thin victory against its conservative opposition early on Monday and pledged to continue its policies of modernising the economy and improving foreign relations.

A beaming Prime Minister Costas Simitis claimed victory on Sunday's general election and said that his PASOK socialists had been given "a substantial win".

"The win gives PASOK the mandate to continue its policy... I call on all Greeks to fight together for the common targets of a strong, modern and socially just Greece," he told a news conference.

New Democracy opposition leader Costas Karamanlis, speaking later, said that the government's winning margin was so thin that it would have a hard time continuing as before.

The ruling socialists held a paper-thin lead over New Democracy and confounded exit polls that predicted they would be ousted from office.

With 92 percent of the vote counted in Greece's general election, Simitis's PASOK party had 43.7 percent of the vote to New Democracy's 43 percent, a margin of about 38,000 votes out of an electorate of less than nine million.