1. Karamanlis spoke to his deputies on Saturday before heading for Drama, northern Greece, yesterday where he gave his first speech on the campaign trail. «Today, the country finds itself at a crucial crossroads, again,» said Karamanlis. «The time for elections has come and this is linked to the preparation of the new budget… the constitutional review… the freeing up of potential in the education system… the strengthening of the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary.» Karamanlis defended his government’s record in the three–and–a–half years it has been in power and accused PASOK of trying to «polarize» and «fanaticize» the electorate. «We have decided not to follow them on the slippery slope they have chosen,» he said.