Greek socialists aim for coalition amid bailout threats

Page last updated at 04:54 GMT, Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 09:54 EST

AFP:

Leader of the Greek socialist party, Evangelos Venizelos (R), pictured in Athens on May 9

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Greek socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos was tasked Thursday by President Carolos Papoulias with forming a government after efforts by other parties failed in the wake of inconclusive weekend polls.

"Our proposal is to create a unity government, a cooperation of pro-European forces," Venizelos, 55, told reporters outside the presidential mansion, adding that the task was "not easy" but was still "feasible."

"It is clear that the people want stability and want to avoid (new) elections," the former finance minister who helped negotiate a landmark debt cut said.

The socialist leader will hold talks with the small Democratic Left party at 1300 GMT and with his main rivals and former coalition partners, the conservative New Democracy party, at 0700 GMT on Friday.

Venizelos, whose Pasok party came a distant third in the elections, is thought unlikely to succeed where the top-seeded New Democracy conservatives and the second-placed Syriza radical leftists could not.

A fresh setback would result in Papoulias calling on parties to form an emergency coalition.

Read the whole story: AFP