Athens
Conservatives made huge gains in Greek elections this week, wresting control of the government after more than a decade of Socialist Party rule. The two parties’ policies are fairly similar, though, and both are dominated by family ties. The new prime minister, Costas Karamanlis of the New Democracy Party, is a nephew of a former prime minister. He’ll take over from George Papandreou, the son and grandson of former prime ministers. Karamanlis will inherit the headache of planning for this summer’s Olympic Games, to be held in Athens. The preparations are months behind schedule, and more than half of the arenas have yet to be built.
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