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Greek government survives confidence vote
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The Associated Press-
The government of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou survived a confidence vote Friday, moments after the embattled leader signalled he'd be willing to step aside to help the country emerge from its unprecedented debt crisis.
Papandreou won the critical parliamentary confidence motion 153-145.
Earlier, Papandreou promised to start immediate power-sharing talks to form a caretaker government. He had warned snap elections would be a catastrophe for the country and would scuttle a major new European debt deal.
He said that elections would be held immediately after the financial situation is "normalized."
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, who warned that the debt-ridden country still faced "mortal danger," said the new government would last until the end of February.
But main opposition leader Antonis Samaras, who had demanded Papandreou resign and a new government be formed that did not include members of any political party, called for snap elections.
He did not say whether his conservative party would join coalition talks, due to be formally launched later Saturday when Papandreou meets the country's president.
The confidence vote came days after Papandreou's ultimately scrapped plan to put the debt deal to a referendum sparked an open rebellion in the governing party, with deputies openly calling for him to step down.
Papandreou faced open revolt from some members of his own Socialist party ahead of the vote, a political free-for-all set off by a European bailout plan.
A week of unending drama in Athens has horrified the indebted country's European partners, spooked the markets and overshadowed the Group of 20 summit in the French resort of Cannes.
Papandreou on Thursday was forced to abandon his plan to hold a referendum on the debt deal, after markets and EU leaders reacted with hostility to the idea, sparking a global crisis as investors feared that rejection of the hard-fought agreement would force a disorderly Greek default.
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