Greece to hold new election on June 17

Source: B92, BBC

ATHENS -- Greece will hold fresh elections on June 17 since no party managed to secure a majority in parliament and form a new government.

(Tanjug)

Until the elections, Greece will have an interim government. This will prolong the political crisis and push the country closer to bankruptcy and out of the euro zone.
No party won a majority in the 6 May parliamentary election.

Council of State President Panagiotis Pikramenos will head the caretaker government until the election.

After the negotiations with Greek President Karolos Papoulias ended without an agreement, leaders of three biggest political parties have been accusing each other of failure.

Based on the results of the May 6 election, New Democracy won 108 seats in parliament, Syriza won 52, PASOK 41, Independent Greeks 33 and Democratic Party 19 seats.

The Communist Party, which won 26 seats in parliament and Golden Dawn, which won 19 seats, did not take part in the talks on forming of the new government.

There has been deadlock since the election over whether to continue with the austerity measures required by an international bailout agreement.

Recent opinion polls suggest that Syriza, a leftist bloc opposed to the tough bailout conditions, would win a new election, but would still not gain enough for a parliamentary majority.

While Conservatives and Socialists claim that the austerity plan represents the last chance to prevent the country from defaulting, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras says he has a plan that includes keeping Greece in eurozone and scrapping the austerity plan. EU leaders, however, claim that the plan is unsustainable.

The eurozone countries have warned Greece to adhere to conditions that are a part of the bailout loan, adding it will not get any additional funds otherwise. The EU also warned the country that it was risking being kicked out of the eurozone.