ATHENS (Reuters) - Exit polls showed Greece's radical leftist Syriza party ahead in local elections in Athens and the wider Attica region on Sunday, in a surprisingly strong performance that represents a setback for the country's fragile ruling coalition.
The vote, along with European Parliament elections a week later, are being closely watched as a gauge of sentiment towards the coalition of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who is facing his first electoral test since coming to power two years ago.
Syriza's candidate for Athens mayor, Gabriel Sakellaridis, led the incumbent, leftist-backed independent George Kaminis, by less than 2 percentage points, two exit polls showed.
