Greek leaders hit impasse in last push to avert elections
ATHENS |
Leaders of the three biggest
parties, each of whom had failed to form a government in the past week,
convened at the presidential mansion, where President Karolos Papoulias
had a last opportunity to implore them to form a coalition before he
must call another election, probably in mid-June.
The
meeting broke up after less than two hours of talks, and leaders said
the discussions had hit a snag, though they expressed the hope that
difficulties could be overcome.
"Even
now, despite the impasse at the meeting we had with the president, I
hold on to some limited optimism that a government can be formed," said
Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, whose PASOK party finished a
humbling third in Sunday's election. But he warned time was running out.
"The moment of truth has come. We either form a government or we go to elections."
His
conservative counterpart, Antonis Samaras, said talks to form a
government were continuing but blamed the radical leftist SYRIZA party
for blocking efforts to form a coalition.
Samaras
placed first in the election last week but fell far short of an
outright majority, punished by voters for backing a bailout package tied
to harsh austerity cuts in the heavily indebted country.
SYRIZA, which campaigned against the bailout, finished a surprise second in the vote.
Both Samaras's New Democracy and Venizelos' PASOK party - which have taken turns to rule Greece
for nearly four decades and jointly negotiated a bailout that requires
deep cuts in public spending - are eager to avoid facing the voters
again.
Polls since the election
show the balance of power tipping even further towards opponents of the
bailout, who were divided among several small parties but now appear to
be rallying behind SYRIZA's Alexis Tsipras, a 37-year-old ex-Communist
student leader.
If the vote is
repeated, Tsipras's SYRIZA party is tipped to place first, winning an
automatic extra 50 seats at the expense of Samaras.
If
the next government rejects the bailout, EU officials say that would
mean the end of loans that Athens needs to stave off bankruptcy and its
possible exit from the euro single currency.
Polls
show an overwhelming majority of Greeks reject the bailout but want to
keep the euro. As many as 78.1 percent want the new government to do
whatever it takes to keep their country in the currency, a poll by Kappa
Research for To Vima daily showed.
ELECTIONS AGAIN
Samaras
and Venizelos have offered a broad coalition that would include SYRIZA
and try to renegotiate some bailout terms, but Tsipras rejects that.
"It
is obvious that there is an effort to bring about a government that
will implement the bailout. We are not participating in such a
government," SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis said on Saturday.
Another
small leftist party - the Democratic Left led by lawyer Fotis Kouvelis -
could provide enough seats to form a government with New Democracy and
PASOK, but has said it will not do so unless the coalition also includes
SYRIZA.
Greeks seem resigned to returning to the polls.
"Why
would we believe they'll agree on something? All they care about is
being in power and we're sitting here not even able to pay our
electricity bills," said Maria Kissou, 53, a corner shop owner in
Athens. "Let us go to elections again."
Kissou voted for Tsipras on May 6.
"He's young, I like him because at least he's trying to renegotiate with the Europeans," Kissou said.
Supporters
of the two establishment parties will be hoping that if a new election
is held, Greeks will be frightened of the prospect of leaving the euro
and return to the fold.
"Country on a dangerous path," the conservative daily Kathimerini warned on its front page.
Papoulias
will also meet leaders of parliament's small parties on Sunday evening
at 1630 GMT, which for the first time include the far right Golden Dawn.
In
one of the unfolding drama's many sub-plots, Greeks will watch with
interest to see how the president, a revered 82-year-old veteran of the
World War II anti-Nazi resistance, receives a group whose members give
Nazi-style salutes.
The
constitution sets no deadline for Papoulias to complete his search for a
deal and he has given no indication how long he will spend trying
before he calls a new election.
(Writing by Deepa Babington; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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