ATHENS ? Greece waited Saturday to see whether Prime Minister George Papandreou could successfully form a new coalition government, hours after he narrowly won a confidence vote that bolstered Europe?s efforts to combat its debt crisis.
The vote left bailout plans on more solid ground after five dramatic days in which it appeared that Greece could leave the euro zone, although much remains unresolved, including whether Papandreou will stay on as leader. He was meeting midday Saturday with the country?s president to discuss a new coalition. The main opposition party said after the vote that they would not join in.
In remarks made in front of reporters before he and President Karolos Papoulias entered private talks, Papandreou said that without a unity government, Europe?s willingness to help the country could still be at risk.
?Cooperation is necessary to guarantee, for Greece and for our partners, that we can honor our commitments,? Papandreou said. ?A lack of consensus would worry our European partners over our country?s will to stay in the euro zone.?
Indeed, concerned European officials said Saturday morning that the main opposition party?s unwillingness to join with the Socialists was a troubling sign that Greece?s commitment to the bailout plan may not prove lasting.
Saturday?s early morning vote capped an extraordinary week of uncertainty, in which top European leaders said for the first time that they would cast a country out of the euro zone if it failed to live up to its obligations, adding a potent new weapon to their tools for scaring nations into economic good behavior.
That move forced Greek politicians to unite around a biting austerity plan to get their country?s economy onto a sustainable track. Italy, too, announced Friday that it would allow the International Monetary Fund to come and watch its progress in reform, an unusual step.
The Greek Parliament will also have to approve the bailout plan, although that appears assured. That will clear the way for the $11 billion installment of bailout money that Greece needs to avoid default by mid-December. Before the vote, several deputies in Papandreou?s ruling Socialist party said they would vote for him only if he stepped aside within days.
?I don?t care if I?m not elected prime minister again,? Papandreou told Parliament before the vote. ?The time has come for a new effort. A good-faith effort on a basis that will create trust.?
The timing of the formation of the government remains unclear, but several deputies said earlier Friday that they hoped Papandreou would step down within days, once he had resolved plans for his successors. He made no clear commitment to stepping down in his comments before the vote. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos ? one of Papandreou?s top rivals in the party, who has made moves to assert leadership in recent days ? called for March elections.
Papandreou, 59, whose father and grandfather were also prime ministers of Greece, came to power in 2009 only to discover that the country?s finances were far shakier than his predecessors had acknowledged.
Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=cd6a9cc53acf3d3ebce0e8aa172b75ec
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