(6 Mar 2004)
1. Wide shot of thousands of socialist party supporters waving flags
2. Various supporters waving party and Greek flags
3. Wide shot of socialist party leader George Papandreou talking on stage
4. UPSOUND (Greek): "United. We are winners."
5. Wide of square
6. Greek Premier Costas Simitis speaking on stage
7. Wide shot of square
8. Various of rally
9. Wide shot of fireworks
STORYLINE:
Ending the month-long campaign on Friday, tens of thousands of Greel Socialist party supporters gathered in central Athens to attend the last major political rally.
The socialists, in power for all but three years since 1981, switched leaders a month ago in a bid for an unprecedented fourth term.
They replaced Premier Costas Simitis with George Papandreou, the popular 51-year-old foreign minister.
Papandreou and Caramanlis, 47, both come from Greece's two most established political families, but have promised to modernize the country by ushering in a younger generation of politicians.
Campaigning ended on Friday with the main conservative party slightly ahead.
They are hoping to end a decade in opposition and emerge the winners just five months before the summer Olympics in Athens.
Costas Caramanlis' conservative New Democracy party has been leading the governing socialists in opinion polls by about 3 percentage points, going into Sunday's election.
His party exploited voter discontent over increasing living costs, poor public services and an unemployment rate running at about 9 per cent.
The new premier will face urgent construction deadlines for the August 13-29 Olympics.
There have been serious delays at the main games complex. Building crews are already working round-the-clock to complete other stalled projects.
Greece has budgeted more than 800 (m) million dollars (US) for Olympic security, more than three times that spent on the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Caramanlis, who has never held a Cabinet position, is vying to return New Democracy to power for the first time since 1993, largely on promises of ridding the country of socialist cronyism.
The Socialists have pinned their hopes on late support from young urban voters and based their campaign mostly on the accomplishments of their administration.
They include Greece's adoption of the Euro, improving once hostile relations with neighbouring Turkey, and breaking up November 17, a domestic terror group which eluded police for nearly 30 years.
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