Papandreou survives

George Papandreou

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou won a nail-biting confidence vote in parliament early yesterday and started talks to form a government of national unity in the crisis-hit country.
Papandreou carried the vote, watched nervously by financial markets and fellow European leaders, despite a razor-thin majority for his socialist party and a rebellion within the ranks.
A total of 153 deputies among 298 present approved the motion, the parliament speaker said to sustained applause within the chamber.
The vote makes it more likely Greece will be able to implement the terms of a massive EU bailout designed to keep the near-bankrupt country afloat and is likely to be cheered across Europe.
Calling for a "broad" coalition to put into action the EU package, the hard-pressed premier told parliament he was open to a government of national unity.
Later Papandreou opened talks with Greece's president Papoulias on forming an emergency government but amid uncertainty over whether the opposition party would participate in talks.
“The lack of cooperation in Greek politics risked raising "doubts amongst our European partners about our desire to stay in the eurozone," he told the president.
Under intense pressure from European partners and facing a rebellion within his own socialist ranks, Papandreou indicated in a half-hour address to MPs in the early hours of Saturday morning that he would stand down.
"I am not interested in a chair, the last thing I am interested in is whether I am re-elected," said Papandreou, who swept to a landslide national election victory in 2009.
"The tradition of my family would not permit me to do anything different," said Papandreou, whose father and grandfather were also leaders of Greece.
Opposition is demanding snap polls.
The confidence vote capped a tumultuous week for Greece that began with Papandreou's disastrous call to hold a referendum on the 100-billion-euro ($138-billion) EU bailout package that sparked revolt in his own party and roiled markets.