‘No’ Vote Appears to Be Leading in Greek Referendum After Voting Ends - Polls

The ‘No’ vote appears to be leading in Greece’s bailout referendum by a small margin, according to final opinion polls released after voting ended on 7 p.m. on Sunday, newswires reported.

Separate opinion polls conducted by GPO, Metron Analysis and MRB all put the outcome at a slim lead of three percentage points for the ‘No’ camp over the ‘Yes’ vote.

No exit polls were released. Official results are expected to be released at about 9 p.m. (1800 GMT)

All six major Greek TV stations are predicting a victory for the ‘No’ camp, according to Sky News.

Mega channel gave a 49.5% to 53.5% range for 'No' vote and 46.5% to 50.5% for 'Yes''. Star channel gave a 49% to 54% range for 'No' votes and between 46% and 51% for Yes.

The suggested outcome indicates a victory for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has said a 'No' vote would strengthen his hand in bailout-for-reforms talks with Greece's international creditors that will allow banks to reopen next week.

The creditors - the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank - last week proposed to extend Greece's bailout agreement until November in exchange for spending cuts and far-reaching reforms.

Tsipras indicated before the referendum he would step down if the majority of Greeks voted 'Yes', i.e. if they showed they are in favour of budget cuts and tax increases in return for more bailout.

Nikos Filis, parliamentary spokesman for the ruling Syriza party said the result of the opinion polls would allow the government to move ahead quickly to reach a deal with creditors.

"I think this is guidance for the government," Reuters quoted Filis as saying.

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