Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumGreece on brink of new ‘catastrophe’ as PM battles to avert snap elections
Source: The Observer
Helena Smith in Athens
The Observer, Saturday 27 December 2014 23.16 GMT
Greeces embattled prime minister, Antonis Samaras, issued an eleventh-hour appeal to parliamentarians on Saturday in an attempt to avert snap elections that would almost certainly plunge the eurozone into renewed crisis.
In an impassioned plea, he urged MPs to rid the country of menacing clouds gathering over it by supporting the governments presidential candidate when they gather for the final round of a three-stage vote on Monday.
Failure would automatically trigger elections that radical leftists would be likely to win. The ballot has therefore electrified Greece, rattled markets and unnerved Europe. I am once again appealing to all MPs, of all parties, to vote for the president of the republic, Samaras told state television. If we dont elect a president the responsibility will hang heavily over those who dont vote for [him]. They will be remembered by everyone, especially history.
Samarass high-stakes gamble of calling the poll two months early has brought him face-to-face with the spectre of losing power if he fails to convince 12 MPs to back Stavros Dimas, his choice for the presidential post. A former European commissioner, Dimas received 168 ballots in a second round of voting last week well short of the 200 required. On Monday he must amass 180 to be elected.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/greek-prime-minister-elections-antonis-samaras-austerity-syriza
no more banksters
(395 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)Greek lawmakers will attempt on Monday for a third and final time to elect a new president and avoid a snap election that could propel the anti-austerity Syriza party to power.
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a conservative, is desperate to elect a successor to outgoing President Karolos Papoulias, barring which he will be forced into an early election polls suggest he is likely to lose.
"The Greek people don't want early elections. The Greek people understand where this adventure could lead," an ominous Samaras warned late Saturday in a televised interview.
His candidate, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, fell 32 votes short of the required 200 in a second attempt to elect a new president earlier this week.
http://www.france24.com/en/20141228-syriza-greece-snap-election-tsipras-samaras-eu-imf-bailout-austerity/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Greece's parliament has failed to elect a new president for the country in a third and final round of voting, forcing an early general elections.
Stavros Dimas, former European commisioner and the coalition government's candidate for the post, fell short of the 180 votes of parliament's 300 seats needed to win on Monday.
"I think I expected the result. I remain calm, as ever," said Dimas.
Shortly after the vote, Antonis Samaras, Greek prime minister, said the country would hold the polls on January 25.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/12/greece-parliament-fails-elect-president-20141229104433854668.html