Athens, Rajab 26, 1435, May 25, 2014, SPA -- Greeks began casting their ballots in the European elections and the second round of local elections on Sunday, seen as an important test for the austerity programme of the government, dpa reported. The elections, in which some 9.8 million citizens are eligible to vote, will cover 200 mayoral and 12 regional races across the country. Both the conservative New Democracy and its governing coalition partner the socialist PASOK party suffered a setback as the far-left SYRIZA party scored gains in the first round of voting. But a critical test this time around will be the electoral battle for Greece's 21 representatives in the new European Parliament. --SPA 11:52 LOCAL TIME 08:52 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w