Communist-Led Group Fails in Bid to Form Greek Government

A Communist-led alliance failed to form a new Greek government Friday after Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou’s Socialist party refused to join a proposed three-member governing coalition with conservatives.

The Communist-led Coalition of Left and Progress, whose failure follows similar attempts by the Socialists and conservatives, left open the possibility of joining with the center-right New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis.

“We (the Coalition) will meet tomorrow (today) and examine the prospects of such a government and take the proper position,” Coalition leader Harilaos Florakis said after meeting with President Christos Sartzetakis.

Negotiations on a coalition began after elections June 18 in which New Democracy won 145 of the unicameral Parliament’s 300 seats, six short of a majority, and Papandreou’s Panhellenic Socialist Movement got 125.

The Coalition of the Left and Progress, an alliance of the Moscow-line Communist Party and the Greek Left, a Eurocommunist group, won 28 seats and the role of power broker. The Coalition received a three-day mandate ending Friday to form a government.

Sartzetakis has a final meeting with party leaders today. If the Communists and conservatives reach agreement, they could still present a proposed coalition government to the president for approval.

If the parties are unable to hammer out a government acceptable to all, Sartzetakis is to appoint a caretaker administration composed of high court judges and non-parliamentarians to lead the country to new elections.