Greece has no lack of orators in both mythology and reality, but until now it has been shy about putting Greek eloquence to the test under television lights.

The leaders of six of Greece's political parties, however, will be put to such a test late on Monday in the hope their eloquence will help them in the Oct. 4 general elections.

The country's first ever televised election debate will pit against one another the incumbent prime minister, a former foreign minister and chairs of four other parties.

Analysts in Athens have described the televised debate as one of the last decisive moments of the presidential campaign.

But local pundits have complained about the rigid format of the television debate, which provides for no direct dialogue among the participating party leaders.

For days now, complaints have rung loud about the rigidity set forth by an inter-party committee established for the upcoming elections.

The sextet will not freewheel by throwing questions at each other and will have to take questions raised by a selected panel of seven journalists and editors on such issues as the economy, foreign policy, education, social policy, public administration and the environment.

However, at the end of each round of the panel's questions and answers, the debating party leaders will be allowed to ask one question with no comment bundled into it.

While on-lookers complained about the format, the debaters were arguing about who's got more limelight from the Greek National Television, which is to broadcast live the debate and who's got more attention from the television audience.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology Party (SYN), Popular Orthodox Rally Party (LAOS) and Ecologist Greens Party argued that the six-party Monday debate could be nothing more than a tune-up for a debate on Tuesday, which they believed to be the best item on the program.

Incumbent Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis of the ruling conservative New Democracy Party (ND) on Tuesday takes on former foreign minister George Papandreou of the main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement Party (PASOK).

They claim the two-man show will grab greater attention among potential voters, leaving the other parties in the shadows.

John Sarantakos, a political commentator with the Ethnos newspaper, said that Karamanlis had one of the few opportunities left before the balloting to overcome the gap recent opinion polls say exists between the ND and PASOK.

The latest gallop conducted by Metron Analysis for TV station ANT1 has shown that PASOK was garnering 37.6 percent of the votes, followed by the ND with 29.7 percent, the KKE with 7.5 percent, the LAOS with 5.5 percent, the SYN with 3.4 percent and Greens with 2.4 percent.

According to the newspaper commentator, Karamanlis will try his best to present himself in front of cameras as the most reliable leader during the ongoing financial crisis that has been affecting Greece.

But who will not with such a rare chance?

Source: Xinhua