President Pavlopoulos has met the leader of Greece’s newest anti-austerity party and charged him with the task of forming a government
ADVERTISEMENTPresident Pavlopoulos has met the leader of Greece’s newest anti-austerity party and charged him with the task of forming a government.
Panagiotis Lafazanis has three days to try but the Popular Unity chief is unlikely to succeed.
The political uncertainty follows the resignation of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras over a rebellion within his own Syriza Party over Greece’s latest bailout.
Speaking after being given his mandate by the president, Panagiotis Lafazanis said:
“We will use this mandate to show that the only thing that will be good for the country is a new,consistently anti-bailout parliament.”
Opposition conservatives, New Democracy leader Evangelos Meimarakis has already tried and failed to find coalition partners. He’s had harsh words for Tsipras accusing him of leading the country to catastrophe.
If no government can be formed the president convenes a meeting of party leaders in a last-ditch attempt to find consensus before a caretaker government is appointed and an election date is set.
It means Greeks will have to head to the ballot box for the third term this year. Despite his about face and eventually negotiating a bailout deal with Greece’s creditors, Tsipras is expected to win the election when its called but its unlikely he’ll be able to form a government on his own.
#Greece PM #Tsipras will not meet with Popular Unity leader Panagiotis Lafazanis (via geoterzis</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/politics?src=hash">#politics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SYRIZA?src=hash">#SYRIZA</a></p>— Manos Giakoumis (ManosGiakoumis) August 24, 2015
In a twist, #Europe may find itself relying on success of PM Alexis #Tsipras of #Greece: http://t.co/YodwbqOGif#GreecePolitics
— Debnicolina (@Debnicolina) August 24, 2015