Early indications suggested a high turnout after a week of intense campaigning left Greek cities littered with fliers and posters — and opinion polls showed voters evenly split on the first referendum Greece has held in 41 years.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who was gambling the future of his 5-month-old left-wing government on the hastily called poll, insisted that a "no" vote would strengthen his hand to negotiate a better deal with creditors while a "yes" result would mean capitulating to their harsh demands.