Tsipras to meet with rightist leader to discuss forming new government

Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the leftist Syriza party which won Greece’s general elections, is to meet on Monday with the head of the nationalist rightwing party, Independent Greeks, Panos Kamenos, to explore the possibility of forming a government, Syriza party sources said.

Tsipras is to sit down with Kamenos as soon as the Syriza leader is instructed by the President of the Republic, Karolos Papoulias, to form a new government.

Tsipras is also expected to meet throughout the day with the leader of the centrist party To Potami (The River), Stavros Theodorakis, as well as the president of the Communist Party KKE, Dimitris Kutsumbas.

Syriza sources said the meeting with Kamenos would be to confirm the support of Independent Greeks and their possible involvement in the new government which could be ready by Tuesday afternoon and not later than Wednesday morning.

Syriza achieved a clear victory in the general elections held Sunday, obtaining 36.34 percent of the votes, with 99.8 percent of the ballots counted.

According to the official data released on Monday, Syriza is to have 149 seats, two seats short of achieving an absolute majority.

The conservative New Democracy, the party of Prime Minister Andonis Samaras, garnered 27.81 percent of the votes, claiming 76 seats, while in third place is the neoNazi Golden Dawn Party with 6.28 percent of votes and 17 seats.

Next comes the new centrists party To Potami (The River), with 6.05 percent of the vote and 17 seats.

In fifth place is the KKE Communist party with 5.47 percent and 15 seats, while the Independent Greeks has achieved 4.75 percent for 13 seats.

The final position is occupied by Pasok (Social Democrats), led by Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos, with 4.68 percent of the votes or 13 seats.