GREECE HAS FINALLY named its new prime minister with former European Central Bank vice president Lucas Papademos today confirmed as the man to lead a unity government.
Reuters and CNN are both reporting that the Greek president’s office has confirmed the appointment following four-days of intense negotiations which had expected to have been completed earlier this week.
Papademos’s appointment follows the resignation of George Papandreou who agreed to step down with Greece heavily indebted and on the verge of bankruptcy as it struggles to convince the rest of the eurozone that it is a stable economic nation.
The interim government aims to approve a new €130 billion financial aid deal which Papandreou had briefly proposed to put to a referendum of the Greek people, a move which caused consternation among eurozone leaders.
The 64-year-old former vice president of the ECB will lead a coalition backed by the governing Socialists and the opposition conservatives that is expected to operate until early elections in February.
Papademos will replace Papandreou, midway through the Socialists’ four-year term.
European ombudsman Nikiforos Diamantouros and IMF delegate Panagiotis Roumeliotis were also discussed for the leadership as was the current finance minister Evangelos Venizelos.
The Guardian reports that the new government will be sworn in at 12pm (GMT) tomorrow.
- additional reporting from AP
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