Greek socialist leader Venizelos warns of 'mass poverty'
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Greek socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos says his country faces a choice between austerity and "mass poverty" in elections on Sunday.
BBC News
The leader of Greece's Pasok party Evangelos Venizelos has said Greece faces a choice between austerity and "mass poverty" in elections on Sunday.

"On Sunday, our people's fate is at stake," Mr Venizelos told the closing rally of his campaign in Athens.

The leader of the centre-right New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, said the Left was "playing games with the country's European future".

Both parties are set to lose votes to those opposed to austerity measures.

"Our place in Europe and the euro will be decided on Sunday," Mr Venizelos told supporters in Athens' central Syntagma Square.

Mr Venizelos served as finance minister until standing down in March to take over the leadership of the centre-left Pasok party.

He said Greeks should opt to stay "on a course that is difficult but safe, after having covered most of the distance, to finally emerge from the crisis.

"Or... we embark on an adventure, sliding back many decades and taking the country to default, to leave Greeks facing mass poverty," he went on.

Speaking at his own closing rally in the city of Alexandroupolis, New Democracy leader Mr Samaras said "the Left "wants to destroy everything... The Left feeds off the crisis."