The party started early on the streets of Athens on Sunday night as supporters of the Pan Hellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) flooded the city centre, beeping their car horns and waving PASOK flags as they celebrated victory in the country’s national elections.

As early as 7pm, with the polls barely closed, supporters of PASOK, most of them certain of victory, were gathering at Klathomonos Square in central Athens in anticipation of a historic win.

“I am ecstatic to be here with my family celebrating this momentous occasion,” said Yiannis Garifalakis, a 45-year old high-school teacher, who was there with his wife and two children.

While PASOK supporters buoyantly cheered their leader whenever his image appeared on one of the giant television screens, the mood was a lot more sombre just one kilometre up the road.

At Syntagma Square supporters of the New Democracy were shattered by the huge loss.

“Calling these elections was possibly the dumbest thing Costas Karamanlis could have done,” said Marianna Petroulaki, a 24-year old member of the New Democracy party.
“He knew he had no chance of winning,” Ms Petroulaki said about the defeated Prime Minister Mr Karamanlis.

Earlier in the day, as the Greeks headed to the polls, confidence was high in both major camps.

“We are confident we can turn things around and win,” said Ioanna Karra, a 32-year old member and volunteer of the New Democracy party, handing out promotional material at one of the many polling places in the central suburb of Exarcheia in Athens.

Just metres away, Eleni Pappaioannou, a 22-year-old graphic design student and member of the Greek Communist Party K.K.E, was hopeful her party would do well but had predicted a PASOK win.

“It’s clear PASOK will win the elections, the question is with how much of a majority and what percentage of the vote will the other party’s get and how will that shape the parliament,” Ms Pappaioannou said.

But as the polls closed at 7pm and Greeks gathered in front of televisions at cafes and bars around the country to await results, coverage by all the major networks were quick to predict a PASOK win and with a comfortable majority.

“This is a big win for us,” said Dimitris Lambridakis, a 36-year old plumber and PASOK supporter who was watching the results with friends at a downtown cafe.
“It is a victory that will bring change to this country and one which I hope will help propel Greece into a brighter future.”

Victory for PASOK could also bring about change for the Greeks of Australia.

PASOK leader George Papandreou, has said he plans to improve the recognition of Australian university degrees and change other regulations to make it easier for Greek Australians to work in the country.

Members of the Greek Diaspora would also be allowed, for the first time, to vote in the nation’s elections without the expense of travelling to Greece, and any obstacles blocking the quick payment of Greek pensions to thousands of qualified recipients in Australia would be promptly removed, he said.

Mr Papandreou has indicated he would encourage skilled members of the Greek Diaspora to spend time working in their former country, which would require withdrawing hurdles such as the need for military service and restrictive hiring rules at government agencies.

“We would have to create a specific law which would give this possibility to open up positions for, let’s say, two or three years for experts and advisers to come … and work here,” he said in an interview in The Australian last week.

While the population of Greece is 11 million, there are estimated to be up to 7 million people of Greek descent living abroad, including approximately 365,000 in Australia.

Meanwhile more than 1 million of Greece’s 9.7 million registered voters live overseas but current electoral laws require them to travel to Greece to vote in their original electorates – usually their place of birth.

But Mr Papandreou said he would like to see three to five seats put aside in the 300-seat national parliament for the Greek Diaspora, who would be allowed to vote by mail or at consulates.