European Parliament

Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras on Monday hailed Parliament's failure to elect a new head of state as a "historical day" in a brief address outside Parliament after lawmakers voted against the coalition government's presidential candidate, leading Greece to early elections.

Four Bulgarian members of parliament leave the Bulgaria Without Censorship (BWC) party due to the inconsistency of their leader Nikolay Barekov.

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Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced plans for an early general election next month after parliament rejected his candidate for president on Dec. 29, throwing the country's international bailout into doubt.

In an eleventh-hour effort to bolster the government’s candidate in a crucial presidential vote Monday that is likely to spark early general elections, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras made an appeal to undecided lawmakers over the weekend, saying snap polls would lead to “pointless upheaval” for the country.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras appeared confident the coalition government will muster the 180 votes in the third round needed to elect its presidential candidate and avert snap elections, after 168 lawmakers in the 300-seat House backed the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas for the post in the second round of a parliamentary ballot on Tuesday, showing an increase from the 160 ballots

Greek Parliament failed to elect a president for a second time on Tuesday after 168 of 300 MPs voted in favor of the candidate, Stavros Dimas, meaning a third ballot will be needed on December 29.

MEP Eduard Kukan of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) bloc arrived in Tirana on Monday in the wake of last week's visit by Knut Fleckenstein of the European People's Party (EPP) bloc in an attempt to negotiate a solution that will see Albania's opposition return to parliament.

Parliament’s ethics committee is to investigate comments made by two independent MPs, Odysseas Voudouris and Theodoros Parastatidis, in which they appeared to cast doubt on the motives of lawmakers who voted for the government’s presidential candidate.

Government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi accused SYRIZA on Monday of forming a “clear alliance” with Independent Greeks to prevent a president from being elected, which would lead to snap elections.

“What we are seeing is incredible,” said Voultepsi in reference to the recent bribery allegations made by Independent Greeks. She accused SYRIZA of profiting form these claims.

Nikolay Barekov, MEP and head of Bulgaria without Censorship party, is to step down from the leadership structures of the coalition centered around his party.

In a press statement Barekov argues the coalition was set up with "electoral" purposes.