Greek PM still short in second round presidential vote

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras failed to capture the support needed to elect a new president in a second round of voting on Tuesday and now needs another 12 votes in the final round next week to avert a snap general election.

Samaras' nominee, Stavros Dimas, the only candidate in the race, had not been expected to win the second round and the score of 168 votes was broadly in line with expectations.

But it leaves the result of the decisive third round on Dec. 29, when Samaras needs 180 votes, finely balanced.

There were 131 blank votes on Tuesday, which count against the candidate, and one absentee.

Parliament must elect a president or a general election would have to be held by early February, potentially bringing in the leftwing Syriza party which wants to renegotiate Greece's international bailout and roll back the austerity policies of recent years.

The second round vote followed an offer by Samaras at the weekend to bring pro-European independents into his government and hold early elections late next year if Dimas is elected.

Greek stocks trimmed losses in the minutes following the result, with the main Athens index trading 2.1 percent lower by 1052 GMT.

Samaras must now concentrate on winning over independents and rebels from the smaller parties.

Both the Democratic Left, which left the ruling coalition last year and Independent Greeks, a right-wing anti-bailout party, have said they would not vote for Dimas.

But it is unclear how much discipline they can impose on their members and a furious round of lobbying and telephone calls is likely over Christmas. Two Democratic Left lawmakers announced they were leaving the party to sit as independents just minutes before the vote.

Financial markets and Greece's European partners have been watching the presidential election closely, although after the crisis measures of the past two years, most analysts believe there is now less risk of wider contagion, with most Greek debt held by official creditors.

Syriza still leads in the opinion polls but its advantage has narrowed over recent weeks and a survey at the weekend gave it a lead of 3.4 points.

The party has sounded a more moderate note lately, seeking to reassure Europe that it would be a responsible negotiating partner and would keep Greece in the euro.

But a victory would signal a major shift in the politics of the euro zone, for the first time bringing in a government openly opposed to the Brussels consensus which has governed the bloc's response to the wider crisis.


REUTERS