Greek government keeps eye on elections as crucial vote nears

ATHENS – Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras may have expressed hopes that parliament will elect a new president next Monday and avert the threat of snap elections, but politicians on all sides are already preparing for a possible campaign next month.

In the second round of voting on Tuesday, the government’s candidate Stavros Dimas got within 12 votes of the 180 he will need to be elected next Monday, an improvement on his disappointing first round score.

But the numbers remain tight and if Dimas falls short, new elections will have to be held by early February, potentially bringing in the leftwing Syriza party and throwing the future of talks to wind up Greece’s international bailout into doubt.

“There’s a last chance for parties and lawmakers to be convinced a president must be elected, but it’s difficult,” said Deputy Development Minister Odysseas Konstantinopoulos.

Already parties are preparing for an election campaign which would start the moment it became clear on Monday that the three-fifths majority Dimas needs to be elected was out of reach.

Syriza says it wants elections as soon as possible and is ready for power. It still holds a lead in opinion polls but its advantage has narrowed steadily in recent months. A Public Issue poll last week gave the party a 7-point lead, down from 11 points in September.

Dimitris Mavros, head of Athens polling institute MRB, said a high-stakes game of chess was underway. “The government is mathematically forced to target both the King and the Queen: to elect a president or get elected itself,” he said.

Officials say the government will play up the risks of Syriza derailing the bailout that Greece still needs to keep afloat, with an eye on both Monday’s vote and a possible election campaign.