Greek government-debt crisis

The second of three attempts by Greece's parliament to approve the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' nominee for president has failed, sending the country a step closer to early general elections.

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PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos met briefly with his predecessor and former Prime Minister George Papandreou ahead of a parliamentary vote for president on Tuesday, shortly after sources close to the latter suggested that he will be announcing the formation of a new political party at the end of the year.

Greek MPs failed on Dec. 23 to elect a president in a second vote in parliament, bringing an early general election, feared by financial markets and the country's EU-IMF creditors, a step closer.
      
The government candidate, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, fell 32 votes short of the required 200 votes, meaning a third and final vote will be held on December 29.

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.

Former Prime Minister and ex-PASOK chief George Papandreou is reportedly poised to announce the formation of a new political party, Skai television cited Parliamentary sources as saying early in Tuesday.

Lawmakers in Greece are to make on Tuesday a second attempt at electing the country's new President.

The legislature in Athens failed to elect a head of state on December 17, since the only presidential candidate Stavros Dimas, the nominee of government partners from New Democracy and PASOK, was backed by only 160 MPs, with at least 200 (a two-thirds majority) needed for the step.

The first four funding contracts of the Institution for Growth in Greece (IfG) fund with small and medium-sized enterprises were signed in Athens on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and the executive vice president of German investment bank KfW, Christian Funke.

With all political parties now actively preparing for the prospect of snap elections, MPs are to vote in the second ballot of a critical three-phase presidential vote at noon on Tuesday.

Democratic Left’s parliamentary spokesman Nikos Tsoukalis has rejected a report claiming that his party may be on the point of breaking apart.

“This report is so far from the truth that I don’t need to comment on him,” Tsoukalis told Athina 984 FM.