Nightly News   |  May 17, 2012

Uncertainty breeds fear in Greece

A new election is scheduled for June 17, as debate continues over the country’s place in the euro zone. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports.

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This content comes from Closed Captioning that was broadcast along with this program.

>>> overseas now to the uncertainty surrounding greece and the fears that the economic meltdown there cld cause major case osin markets everywhere, including, of course, this country. for many ordinary hard working greek citizens , this nightmare has already happened.

>>> a rare broithd spot in athens. the olympic torch handed off to the organizers of london 2012 . but on the other side of town, evidence of the now daily struggle just to get by. many of these women lining up for free milk, frozen chicken, and detergent, aren't used to being poor.

>> you're scared. me and my country are scared.

>> to avoid bankruptcy and remain part of the eurozone. grease agreed to be part of the budgets cuts. protesters hit the streets over pensions, jobs, and minimum wage. they gave a drubbing tohe parties that agreed to the bailout plan. the election left the government split. now they have to vote again. the new elections are scheduled for june 17th , but until a government is formed in this country, there is uncertainty, and uncertainty breeds fear. this week, they felt it at the banks. on monday alone, greeks withdrew $700 million euros from their banks. jennifer took out her entire savings in cash because she worries greece will return to its own currency.

>> the time was right to make that move.

>> the return and the impact it would have on europe is a concern for the whole world, including the u.s.

>> americans should care because this is the biggest economy of the world , their biggest export market.

>> at the donation center, this woman is fed up with the politicians.

>> they all shout, we love our country. okay, do something about it. we don't see that.

>> what she sees is the need for help growing day by day . stephanie gosk, nbc