Greece gears up for celebrity-heavy elections

Greece goes to the polls on Sunday in an election seen as the most crucial of recent years but the main socialist and conservative parties have shied away from "male, middle-aged, lawyer" candidates and gone for fame, looks and glamour.

The electoral lists of Pasok's ruling socialists and New Democracy's opposition conservatives read like a who's who of the society pages, as actors, sportsmen, models and singers line up next to photogenic candidates from the parties' youth ranks.

"What is more natural than to choose people who have already had a strong presence on TV?" said writer and columnist Nikos Dimou.