Athens: Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras urged lawmakers on Saturday to prevent the uncertainty of a snap general election by ensuring that a president is elected in a key vote in parliament next week.
Speaking ahead of the third and decisive round of the vote to elect a successor to the 85 year-old head of state Karolos Papoulias, Samaras said a general election, which must be held if a new president cannot be appointed, was against the national interest.
"The Greek people do not want early elections," he told state television in an interview. "I have done and I am doing everything to ensure a president is elected and snap elections are averted," he said.
He repeated an invitation to other parties to cooperate in exchange for an agreement to hold elections late next year but offered few concrete details.
However he said that if Greece does go to the polls, his centre-right New Democracy Party, which trails the leftwing anti-bailout party Syriza in the opinion polls, would win.
"Even though elections would be convenient for me, I want to see the ship safely into port," he said.
Speaking ahead of the third and decisive round of the vote to elect a successor to the 85 year-old head of state Karolos Papoulias, Samaras said a general election, which must be held if a new president cannot be appointed, was against the national interest.
"The Greek people do not want early elections," he told state television in an interview. "I have done and I am doing everything to ensure a president is elected and snap elections are averted," he said.
However he said that if Greece does go to the polls, his centre-right New Democracy Party, which trails the leftwing anti-bailout party Syriza in the opinion polls, would win.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2014
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Body Found Inside Burned-Out Athens Factory As Wildfire Continues To Spread Thousands Flee Their Homes After Wildfires Bear Down On Greek Capital Residents Flee As Greece Wildfires Spread Despite "Superhuman" Efforts Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Omar Abdullah On What Should Be J&K Assembly's 1st Move After Polls Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah To Be Prosecuted In Land Scam Case TasteAtlas Shares Top 10 Best And Worst American Foods, Internet Disagrees Telangana Man Dies In US, Family Asks Government To Help Bring Back Body JAM 2025: All You Need To Know About Joint Admission Test For Masters Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.