DHAKA: Millions of Greeks are due to vote in a crucial referendum on whether to accept the terms of an international bailout.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT), with the first results expected on Sunday evening, reports bbc.com

The end of a frenetic week of campaigning saw huge rallies being held by both sides of the referendum on Friday.

The government has urged voters to vote "No", but opponents warn this could see Greece ejected from the eurozone.

'Spreading fear'

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told local media on Saturday that the EU had "no legal grounds" to throw Greece out of the euro.

On the eve of the referendum, he accused Athens' creditors of trying to sow fear around the vote. Speaking to Spain's El Mundo newspaper, he said: "Why did they force us to close the banks? To instil fear in people. And spreading fear is called terrorism."

Meanwhile, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, one of Greece's harshest critics, suggested that if Greece were to leave the eurozone, it might only be temporary.

"Greece is a member of the eurozone. There's no doubt about that," he told German newspaper Bild.

"Whether with the euro or temporarily without it: only the Greeks can answer this question. And it is clear that we will not leave the people in the lurch."

BDST: 1056 HRS, JULY 05, 2015
RS