Greece set to face another election

Press, 28 June 1989, Page 10

Greece set to face another election

NZPA-Reuter Athens Only days after a bitterly fought national election, Greece looks increasingly likely to face another poll as efforts to form a coalition Government falter. A representative of the outgoing socialist Prime Minister, Andreas Papandreou, who is in hospital with kidney failure, was scheduled to meet the Communist Party leader, Harilaos Florakis, today to try again to form a socialist-communist coalition.

But Mr Florakis, who met Mr Papandreou in his intensive care unit yesterday, told reporters his communist-led alliance would stand by its call for an all-party Government

rather than a two-party coalition. The communists hold the balance of power after the June 18 election in which Mr Papandreou’s Panhellenic Socialist Movement came a distant second with only 125 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. The conservative New Democracy party leader, Constantine Mitsotakis, came first with 145 seats.

Mr Papandreou took over the mandate to form a coalition after Mr Mitsotakis failed to win communist support last week in spite of offering them two key ministries.

But Mr Florakis has refused to support Pasok as long as it is led by Mr Papandreou or those accused in recent banking

and arms business scandals. The Prime Minister is expected to turn in his mandate today after President Christos Sartzetakis returns from a European Community summit conference in Madrid. Mr Florakis will then have three days to form a coalition. If he fails, Mr Sartzetakis will call for a national unity Government, and if this fails new elections will be- held in six weeks. Mr Mitsotakis has alerted his party to prepare for another election. “Political developments have not yet become clear but whatever the case may be new elections are not very far away,” he said.