Brussels, 09/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - After three days of intense negotiations, the outgoing Socialist government and the opposition in Greece would appear to have reached agreement in the afternoon of Wednesday 9 November on the make-up of the government of national unity which will lead the country until the elections in June of next year and apply the agreements of the European bail-out plan. Political leaders have agreed that, assuming no last-minute hitches - which may still happen - Filippos Petsalnikos, currently the Speaker of the parliament, will lead the new government, the two main political parties, PASOK (Socialist) and New Democracy, announced. “We have agreed on Petsalnikos but things can change between now and when the prime minister sees the president”, a source close to the discussions is quoted by Reuters as saying. Outgoing prime minister, George Papandreou officially announced his resignation in a televised speech on Wednesday, without giving any indication as to who his successor was to be. He was to meet President Carolos Papoulias in the late afternoon to ask him to begin the procedure to negotiate the appointment of a new prime minister and a new government.
The nomination of Filippos Petsalnikos will bring an end to three days of hesitation over a long list of possible candidates. Papandreou and opposition leader Antonis Samaras had difficulty coming to agreement on the make-up of the new governmental team, which should have been formed on Monday. On Wednesday, the Greek national bank said it was “imperative” that a new government be formed immediately. (OL/transl.rt)