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Papoulias to now attempt to form coalition government

Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday returned a mandate to form a government, after failing to come up with coalition partners, following a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias

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Papoulias to now attempt to form coalition government

Greek Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos, left, meets with Greek President Karolos Papoulias in Athens.

14 May 2012

Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday returned a mandate to form a government, after failing to come up with coalition partners, following a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias.

Papoulias reminded Venizelos of the Ecofin and Eurogroup meetings scheduled for the coming week, as well as upcoming NATO and EU Summits.

On his part, Venizelos told Papoulias that "New Democracy (ND), Pasok and the Democratic Left agreed on the formation of a coalition government with a two-year mandate, and with the aim of keeping Greece in eurozone, but with drastic changes in the Memorandum. However, the prerequisite was that Syriza participate in this government".

Venizelos added that he set these issues out during a meeting with Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras, who did not provide an answer.

Papoulias will now hold meetings with the three political leaders that received exploratory mandates at noon on Sunday.

Later on Sunday, Papoulias will meet in private with the rest of the party leaders elected to Parliament in last Sunday's general election, namely, Independent Greeks party leader Panos Kammenos, Coomunist Party Genral Secretary Aleka Papariga, Chryssi Avghi leader Nikos Mihaloliakos and the leader of the Democratic Left, Fotis Kouvelis.

Menawhile Syriza re-stated on Saturday, that it would stick to opposing an EU/IMF bailout at a meeting between the country's three main parties and the president on Sunday, and would not participate in any government backing the rescue plan.

"There is no change (to our position)," party spokesman Panos Skourletis told Reuters.

"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," Skourletis said.

Source: AMNA, Reuters

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