Although the surprise election of a socialist government in Spain dominated international news recently, a pro-U.S. conservative party had deposed the ruling Socialists in Greece only days before. By a margin of 47% to 42% of the vote, the New Democracy (conservative) Party unseated the Pasok (socialist) Party that had ruled Greece for 19 of the last 22 years. Incoming Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, often called "the George W. Bush of Greece" (he is the nephew and grandson of past prime ministers), is considered a strong American ally.
