ATHENS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Greece's ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party led the general elections, winning 36-40 percent of votes, while the main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, gained 25-29 percent, according to a joint exit poll released Sunday upon the end of the voting process.
Greeks went to the polls on Sunday to choose their representatives in the next 300-member strong parliament.
According to the initial projections of six polling firms, ND can gain 125 seats, falling short of an outright parliamentary majority due to the electoral system of simple proportional representation, while SYRIZA can secure 89 seats.
The exit poll shows, the socialists of PASOK-KINAL (Panhellenic Socialist Movement-Movement for Change) rank third with 9.5-12.5 percent of the votes and 36 seats, and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) receives 6-8 percent of votes.
The current electoral system has a 3 percent threshold that a political party needs to enter the parliament.
The first estimates based on official results from the Interior Ministry are expected later Sunday night.
If parties fail to agree to form a coalition government in the coming days, a caretaker government will lead the country to a runoff vote by early July.
In the second ballot, a revised electoral system which provides a bonus of up to 50 extra seats for the winning party, will be used, facilitating the formation of a single-party government. ■