Greece’s Prime Minister offers election bargain
GREEK Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said yesterday he would call a snap election at the end of 2015 if parties agree to elect his presidential candidate.
His New Democracy party failed last week in its first attempt to get candidate Stavros Dimas elected. Dimas only achieved 160 votes compared to the 200 majority needed.
Tomorrow will see the second round votes which will also require a majority of 200. Should the New Democracy party meet defeat for a second time, a third and final vote will be held on the 29 December.
The 29 December election would only require a majority of 180. If Dimas comes up short then a snap general election will be called for early 2015. It would cast a great deal of economic uncertainty over Greece which is currently in negotiations to extend its bailout with the “troika” – the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund.
Currently, the anti-austerity party Syriza is leading the polls. Last week the Syriza party quelled fears of a Greek exit from the euro by pledging to keep Greece in the Eurozone.