Papandreou, the socialist candidate, has pledged to end the economic crisis and root out corrution [AFP]

Surveys suggest that the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party of Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister, will lose power in Sunday's ballot, after five and a half years in power.

Karamanlis called for early elections in at the beginning of September, after several scandals and against the backdrop of a deteriorating economic situation.

Both Karamanlis and Papandreou have pledged to pull Greece out of economic crisis in the coming years and to root out corruption.

Polling stations opened at 04:00 GMT on Sunday to allow around 9.8 million voters to cast their ballots.

The first exit polls are expected immediately after voting stations close at 1600 GMT.

Economic slide

Most Greeks welcomed Karamanlis's call for early elections last  month, hoping that a new administration will halt the economy's slide.

It is not clear, however, whether the Socialists would win an absolute majority in 300-seat parliament and end up governing alone.

Under Greece's electoral laws, the winner needs 42.5 per cent of the vote for an absolute majority. If Papandreou fails, another election will be needed.

Greece's conservatives won 41.8 per cent of the vote and 152 seats in parliamentary elections in September 2007.

Pasok garnered 38.1 per cent of the vote and 102 seats.

Parties expected to pass the three per cent hurdle to enter parliament, include the Communist Pary of Greece KKE, the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) and the ultra-conservative People's Orthodox Alarm (Laos).

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