Greek Leader, Papandreou, Wins Vote in Push to Save Debt Deal
Prime Minister George A. Papandreou of Greece survived a crucial confidence vote in the Parliament early on Saturday, a vote that signaled approval of the comprehensive deal reached by European leaders last week to stabilize the euro and to help Greece avoid defaulting on its debt.
Mr. Papandreou pledged to form a unity government with a broader consensus, regardless of whether or not he would lead it. The moves ended a frenetic week that began with Mr. Papandreou’s surprise call for a referendum on Greece’s new debt agreement with the European Union, which threw financial markets into disarray and even threatened to spread the contagion to Italy.
He was then forced to back away in a humiliating about-face and saw his domestic support crumble rapidly, even within his own party.
Mr. Papandreou, who had widely been expected to step down after the confidence vote, said early Saturday that he would explore the composition of a transitional unity government in a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias later in the day. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the interim government would govern until the end of February, with early elections in March.
The prime minister won the support of 153 of the 300 lawmakers in the confidence vote. The result appeared to avert the risk of snap, or immediate, elections, which would have plunged Greece into political chaos. It also moves the country closer to receiving the next installment of foreign aid that it needs to prevent a default.
But it did not fully resolve the continuing political drama — including the composition of the next government.
A few hours before the vote, Mr. Papandreou offered a final appeal to Greek lawmakers, declaring his willingness to open immediate talks on a coalition government and to step aside for the good of the country.
A day after calling off the highly contentious plan for a referendum, Mr. Papandreou had been under intense pressure from his own socialist party and the center-right opposition to step aside even if his government survived the confidence vote, to pave the way for a unity government or early elections.
His position on stepping down had appeared to waver throughout the day on Thursday, infuriating the leader of the opposition New Democracy Party, whose hard-won support for the debt pact had been crucial to averting the referendum. Even after winning the confidence vote, Mr. Papandreou remained under so much pressure from within his own party, Pasok, that he will probably have to step aside, or initiate talks with New Democracy on the formation of a transitional government that would not include him.