![A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Athens, Greece, July 7, 2019. [Photo: IC]](http://img3.zhytuku.meldingcloud.com/images/zhycms_chinaplus/20190707/81f21aed-854b-4dc8-9db2-2c01c0246bc5.jpg?x-oss-process=image/resize,w_650)
Greeks have begun voting in the first parliamentary election since their country emerged from three successive international bailouts.
The vote is held three months earlier than originally planned after left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras saw his support erode during European elections.
Opinion polls suggest Greeks are set to defy the recent European trend of increasing support for populist parties, with conservative opposition party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis a clear favorite to win.
Sunday’s vote comes as the country gradually emerges from a brutal nearly decade-long financial crisis that saw unemployment and poverty levels skyrocket, and Greece’s economy slashed by a quarter.
Greece was dependent for survival until last summer on international bailouts, and had to impose deep reforms, including massive spending cuts and tax hikes, to qualify for the rescue loans.
