Greece may hold snap elections in January

PanARMENIAN.Net - Greece will hold snap general elections in January if parliament fails to elect a president this month, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Thursday, Dec 11, as he called on all lawmakers to avert a national crisis by supporting his candidate for head of state, Reuters reports.

"We will all be judged in the coming days," Samaras said in a speech to lawmakers from his conservative New Democracy party. "People do not want elections."

If the government wins the vote to elect a president, the country will complete a pending bailout review, seek debt relief from European partners and sign a precautionary credit line to support the country after the aid program ends, Samaras said.

He said Greece's funding needs were covered until the end of February. Responding to speculation that the government might put forward different nominees in the three presidential vote rounds, Samaras said Stavros Dimas would remain the government candidate in all three rounds.