It was billed as one of Greece's most important elections since World War II. At stake: the future direction of a volatile democracy still haunted by the memory of a right-wing dictatorship, perhaps even the stability of NATO's southern flank. The campaign had been spectacular and occasionally ugly, a succession of mammoth rallies, fiery oratory and occasional mudslinging. When the political chorus finally fell silent last week, there was a faint sense of relief in Western capitals. The paradoxical reason: Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, 66, the charismatic Socialist whose belligerent rhetoric and obstructionist ways have tested alliance patience since 1981, was...
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