Conservatives riding high into Greek local election

ATHENS, June 02 (AFP): Greeks return to the polling booths on Sunday, a week after a European ballot that saw the conservatives gain against the ruling left just over a month before they face off in general elections.

The New Democracy party will be hoping to repeat its European election performance, when it took 33 percent of the vote - nine points more than the ruling Syriza party.

The unexpectedly poor result prompted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to call parliamentary elections for July 7, three months earlier than scheduled.

Sunday sees the second round of voting for city mayors and regional governors.

In the first round of local and regional elections in May, New Democracy won five of Greece's 13 regions, while the left took just one.

The leftists appear set to lose control of the capital, Athens, and the second city of Thessaloniki in the north.