TSIPRAS TAPS VOTER FURY

Backers of the bailout say the wage cuts, tax hikes and economic reforms demanded by Brussels are the only way Greece can hope to become solvent. Opponents say it is self-defeating - making Greece's debt problem worse by destroying its chances of economic growth and imposing extreme hardship on a population already enduring five years of recession.

The younger generation has been hit particularly hard - more than half of Greek youth are unemployed. They appear to have found a hero in Tsipras, a boyish 37-year-old civil engineer, ex-Communist and former student leader.

In a country fed up with middle-aged party dynasts widely seen as corrupt, he has become a star - aided by a self-confident manner and good looks.

Samaras and Venizelos may be hoping Greeks - frightened by the prospect of a hasty exit from the euro - will return to their traditional parties in a vote re-run.

But the first opinion poll since the election showed the main beneficiary of a new vote would be Tsipras. It gave SYRIZA 27.7 percent of the vote, almost 11 points up on its Sunday result, and well ahead of New Democracy on about 20 percent.

Ratings agency Fitch said the emergence of a government that disavowed the bailout terms would increase the chance of Greece leaving the euro zone, an event it said would put the credit ratings of all euro countries at risk.

Greece could run out of money as soon as the end of June. The prospect that Greece might declare bankruptcy and leave the euro caused panic across the euro zone last year. Since then, European banks have written off the value of most of their Greek debt, making them less prone to shock if Greece defaults.

($1 = 0.7716 euros)

(Additional reporting by Harry Papachristou and Karolina Tagaris; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Dina Kyriakidou)