Greek government-debt crisis

Any new Greek government will have to deliver on the commitments of its predecessors and continue reforms, the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker told Reuters.

His comments are seen as a clear warning to Greece's left-wing Syriza party, which is solidifying its opinion poll lead over the ruling conservatives days before a Jan. 25 election.

By Eleni Varvitsioti

Finnish Prime Minister Alex Stubb is one of the 19 leaders in the eurozone that will be asked to sign a new agreement with Greece after the elections.

SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has seized on comments by Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan as evidence that not just ?progressive economists and the European Left? are coming round to his party?s argument that the European Union needs to hold a meeting to discuss how to reduce the debt of some of its members, including Greece.

New Democracy is expected to focus during the last week of the campaign on the potential of a SYRIZA victory in the January 25 elections leading to the efforts of the last few years going up in smoke.

 President has been taking advice from constitutional experts on his options

Greece?s President Karolos Papoulias appears determined that the new Parliament to emerge from the January 25 elections will choose his successor, even if a government is not formed.

Arne Delfs, Nikos Chrysoloras & Rebecca Christie

Chancellor Angela Merkel is convinced that Greek opposition leader Alexis Tsipras will do business with other euro-region governments if he wins next week?s election, German officials said, as a cash crunch looms for his country.

SYRIZA?s economic policy chief sought to soothe concerns on Friday, vowing that the leftist party has no plans to take unilateral action should it form a government after next Sunday?s election, adding however that it would have until July to hammer out a deal with creditors before serious liquidity problems arise.

A spokesman for ex-Prime Minister George Papandreou?s party, the Movement of Democratic Socialists, implied on Friday that the former premier had proposed to PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos (photo), among other people, that he take over as prime minister in November 2011.

The next Greek government could be offered a six-month bailout extension, while a third loan package might be put together by the troika, according to reports on Friday.

Greece's leftist anti-bailout opposition party Syriza is maintaining a steady lead over the ruling New Democracy party of Prime Antonis Samaras less than two weeks before the snap vote on January 25, opinion polls have shown.