Samaras Risks Snap Elections with December President Vote

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras brought forward to next week the process of choosing a new head of state, a move that might trigger parliamentary elections in Europe’s most indebted state as early as January.

“Political uncertainty must end now,” government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi said late yesterday in an e-mailed statement. The coming months “are crucial” for an agreement on a credit line to replace Greece’s bailout program and negotiations over the country’s debt, she said. Voting for the New Greek president will begin Dec. 17.

Under Greece’s constitution, a supermajority of 180 lawmakers in the 300-seat chamber is needed to elect a successor to the incumbent, President Karolos Papoulias, whose term expires in March. The government has just 155 lawmakers at its disposal. Failure to install a candidate after three attempts would prompt the collapse of Samaras’s coalition and the dissolution of parliament.

Some lawmakers not currently caucusing with any of the country’s political parties have said they may support the government’s candidate for the mainly ceremonial post. All opposition party leaders have said they’ll bloc any pick made by Samaras in order to force an early election.

Anti-bailout group Syriza, which currently leads the government in opinion polls, welcomed the announcement, saying that Samaras’s coalition didn’t have the votes to secure its choice of president. Greece’s next general election isn’t due until 2016.

(Πηγή: bloomberg.com)