The Greek president on Sunday held last-ditch talks with party leaders in a bid to form an emergency cabinet and avoid new polls that could endanger reforms and push the country out of the eurozone. Carolos Papoulias met for 90 minutes with the heads of the three parties that topped last Sunday’s inconclusive election – conservative New Democracy, Socialist Pasok, and radical leftist Syriza. He was to meet with leaders of smaller parties later in the day.
The leaders of the three parties have all failed in their attempts to build a coalition and under Greek law the president must now hold talks to see if one can be formed by Thursday, when parliament convenes, or call new elections in June. Hopes for a breakthrough are pinned on a small leftist party, Democratic Left, seen as the only one that could possibly join a coalition with Pasok and New Democracy, which in turn is seen as the only plausible cabinet combination after the polls.
Full Article: Greece in final bid to avert new polls | Fin24.
