Greece Near Deal for New Gov't Minus Papandreou
![George Papandreou](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/221967/george-papandreou.jpg?w=600&f=31eb0c72f54c6c777f26482228c49367)
Greek lawmakers have nearly agreed on a unity government, as they seek to secure an international aid package, with the main sticking point being that Prime Minister George Papandreou resign before a deal is reached.
The New Democracy party, the largest Greek opposition party, has been seeking an agreement with the resignation condition.
Opposition leader George Karatzaferis, of the LAOS party, said Papandreou’s resignation was “a formality,” according to Bloomberg.
A spokesman for LAOS, Angelos Tolkas, told state television the deal was near.
Papandreou won a confidence vote early Saturday after canceling a public referendum that would have allowed the public to vote on whether or not to accept conditions of an aid package to ease the country’s debt burden while also reducing the nation’s public expenses.
Papandreou dropped the referendum after the conservative New Democracy Party said it would support the finance deal.
Papandreou won a confidence vote by the Greek parliament early Saturday after vowing that he would not stay on. He met with Greek President Karolos Papoulias to explore forming a transitional government.
Papandreou is seeking a “government of wider cooperation” that will pass the financial package, which “is a prerequisite for our remaining in the euro,” Papandreou told reporters on Saturday, according to Bloomberg.
The Greek Parliament voted 153 to 145 to give Papandreou a victory.
Greece is expected to receive $11 billion next month in aid. A lost confidence vote would have meant the need for a new government and a higher risk of Greece defaulting on its debt because of the lack of a bailout package.