Heart, Kidney Complications Hit Papandreou

Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, hospitalized for pneumonia, experienced heart and kidney complications early today, hospital officials said.

The 70-year-old Socialist leader, asked to form a new government by Tuesday night, was hospitalized in intensive care.

General State hospital said in a statement that Papandreou had experienced heart and kidney problems. On Saturday, the hospital had said: “The medical treatent continues and the course of the illness is considered satisfactory.”

Papandreou was admitted to the hospital’s cardiac section Thursday for treatment of a “respiratory infection,” eight months after he underwent open heart surgery in London. A bulletin issued Friday by a medical team at the hospital said Papandreou had pneumonia.

He was given the mandate to form a new government Friday by President Christos Sartzetakis after conservatives who made election gains failed to form a governing coalition.

No Negotiations Set

Officials at Papandreou’s Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) said no political consultations were scheduled during the weekend. The party came in a distant second in voting last Sunday to Constantine Mitsotakis’ conservative New Democracy Party.

In the June 18 election, no party received the absolute majority needed in the 300-member Parliament to form a government on its own. PASOK won 125 seats and New Democracy 145.

A coalition of Communists and other leftists rejected Mitsotakis’ proposal to form a temporary coalition government to bring Socialist officials accused of wrongdoing to trial before calling new elections.

In a power-broker’s position after receiving 28 parliamentary seats, leftist coalition leaders said they would also turn down Papandreou’s overtures.