Antonis Samaras

Greece's president appointed a caretaker prime minister on Wednesday to form a government that will lead the country to a repeat election on June 25, after last weekend's inconclusive vote.

Greece's president will appoint a caretaker prime minister on Wednesday to form a government that will lead the country to a repeat election on June 25, after last weekend's inconclusive vote.

Nikos Androulakis, the socialist PASOK leader, has turned down the third exploratory mandate to form a government in a meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

"I'm turning down the mandate I received, as there are no opportunities for government convergences on the basis of policy agreements," he said after the meeting.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday he will not seek to form a coalition government following this weekend's election, paving the way for a second vote in June he hopes his conservative party will win outright.

Greek Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis greets supporters after announcing the first results of the Greek elections at the party's HQ in Athens, 21 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGE VITSARAS

As leader of the first party, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be handed an official mandate to try to form a coalition government by President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

The prime minister is expected to be received by president at 12.30 p.m. in the Presidential Palace.

A day after national elections failed to produce a single-party government, Greece on Monday was bracing for a new ballot which vote-winner Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' party is poised to seek in order to govern alone.

Greece's outgoing conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and leftist challenger Alexis Tsipras will make a final push for votes at closing rallies on Friday ahead of the most uncertain general election in a decade.

Greeks will vote on Sunday in the most unpredictable national polls in a decade with an inconclusive result likely to lead to the election needing to be re-run.

Outgoing conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis holds a clear lead of around 6 percent over his nearest rival, leftist former premier Alexis Tsipras.

As the election period enters the final stretch, the parties are considering alternative scenarios for the outcome of the May 21 ballot and their handling of the crucial phase of the exploratory mandates that will follow, with ruling conservative New Democracy maintaining a clear poll lead over leftist SYRIZA and center-left PASOK moving into double-digit percentages.