Over 60% of Greeks vote ‘No’ in referendum

Supporters of the No vote react after the first results of the referendum at Syntagma square in Athens, Sunday, July 5, 2015. Over 60 percent of Greeks on Sunday rejected further austerity dictated by the country’s EU-IMF creditors in a referendum, results from 20 percent of polling stations showed. AP PHOTO/PETROS KARADJIAS

ATHENS, Greece–Over 60 percent of Greeks on Sunday rejected further austerity dictated by the country’s EU-IMF creditors in a referendum, results from 20 percent of polling stations showed.

With the early results showing those who rejected further austerity measures in a crucial bailout referendum were poised to win, hundreds of ‘No’ voters began celebrating in Athens Sunday.

The ‘No’ vote was expected to exceed 61 percent, said Michalis Kariotoglou, head of Singular Logic, the IT company overseeing the referendum results.

Chanting slogans, waving Greek flags and holding aloft ‘No’ placards, celebrators flocked to the city’s Syntagma square and gathered in front of parliament to cry victory, an AFP journalist said.