‘Greece has coalition government’

DHAKA: A deal has been struck to form a new Greek coalition government, the leader of the Greek Socialists (Pasok) says.

‘Greece has a government’, Evangelos Venizelos said, following talks with the conservative election winner, Antonis Samaras.

Details are expected to be finalised later on Wednesday, reports BBC.

Greece is in its fifth year of recession. The coalition is expected to seek some easing of the tough terms of Greece’s huge EU-IMF bailout.

Venizelos said Greece would be represented by outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday.

The small Democratic Left party is also expected to be in a ruling coalition with Pasok and Samaras’s New Democracy, which narrowly won Sunday’s election.

Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis said, ‘We decided to give a vote of confidence to the government that will be formed.’

A New Democracy official quoted by Reuters news agency said Samaras would meet President Karolos Papoulias later on Wednesday to announce the coalition deal.

Shortly after that Samaras is expected to be sworn in as prime minister.

The opposition leftist bloc Syriza came second in the election and strongly opposes the tough austerity measures required under the bailout.

There have been many street demonstrations - sometimes violent - by Greeks angered by the job losses, pay cuts and reduced welfare resulting from the bailout deal.

Greece got an initial EU-IMF package worth 110bn euros in 2010, then a follow-up this year worth 130bn euros.

Greece has also had 107bn euros of debt, held by private investors, written off.

BDST: 1912 HRS, JUN 20, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor