Wary Foreign Businesses Step Back From Greece As Its Isolation Grows ATHENS - No matter what happens in this weekend's elections, Greece is rapidly becoming an isolated economy. Carrefour, the giant French supermarket and retail group, said on Friday that it was selling its entire stake in Greece at a loss to its local franchise partner, so it could concentrate "on markets where it sees growth," a spokesman said. Coca-Cola's operations in Greece were also downgraded by Moody's Investors Service, which cited the increased likelihood that Greece could exit the euro zone. A day earlier, the French bank Crédit Agricole said it was ring-fencing its Greek operations to protect itself should that happen. Two of the world's largest import-export insurers, Euler Hermes and Coface, have recently refused to cover transactions involving companies in Greece, imperiling the import of basic goods. Global businesses and investors are retreating both because of the uncertainty on whether they might be paid someday in a devalued currency, and because domestic consumption has plunged after three years of painful austerity. Nearly a quarter of the people are out of work. Buying power has shriveled. Sales of clothing and pharmaceuticals have slumped, and even gas purchases are down as people drive less to save money. Companies short on cash have stopped paying one another. Amid rows of unsold screws, drills and power tools at his hardware store here, Deodoris Diamadis is one of many Greeks awaiting elections that he hopes could bring much desired economic improvement. "Commerce in Greece is down to almost nothing because of all the economic and political uncertainty," Mr. Diamadis said grimly on a recent weekday as he watched the occasional customer flit in and out without buying anything. We're hoping that a new government will resolve this crisis. Those hopes are likely to be dashed, given the bleak outlook. Even the strongest parts of the economy are suffering badly. Tourism, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of all jobs in Greece, is expected to plunge by about 15 percent this year as dire headlines leave visitors uneasy about planning vacations. The shipping business here has been losing steam to China, and its profitability fading, especially in the last year. "The economic international isolation of Greece is growing progressively day by day," said Vassilis Korkidis, the president of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce. Even if a new government wanted to remain in the euro, allaying concerns that the euro zone was breaking apart, it would have to satisfy the demands of the international community for financial aid. Though its coffers are running dry, the Greek government must find 15 billion euros in savings by the end of the month under the terms of its bailout. The state power agency is warning of imminent electricity blackouts because it can't pay its bills. And Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, has threatened to cut Greece off unless it is paid by June 22. Alexis Tsipras, the left-wing leader who is emerging as a front-runner in Sunday's elections on promises of repudiating Greece's loan agreement, said in an interview Thursday that growth would mainly be restored by reversing the harsh austerity measures required by the international community for Greece's bailout. He promised initiatives to stimulate the economy, without specifying what those initiatives would be or where the money would come from - aside from taxing wealthy businesses and individuals more, collections that have failed repeatedly in this tax-evasive culture. Greece needs to get its finances in order, he added, "but if we annihilate growth while doing it, what's the point?" Global companies have been wary about the country for a while, but their concerns shot to new heights last month after Greeks voted in large numbers for Mr. Tsipras's left-wing party, stoking fears that his willingness to tear up the country's 130 billion euro bailout agreement could lead Greece to exit the monetary union. Qatar recently froze a 5 billion euro investment because it wanted to see if Greece was staying in the euro, George A. Papandreou, Greece's former prime minister, said in an interview. Rachel Donadio contributed reporting from Athens.