ATHENS: Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Sunday offered to hold early elections in late 2015 to clinch a crucial presidential vote next week that could affect the country's economic future.
"We can find the proper timeframe for national elections, even at the end of 2015", provided a president is elected and crunch EU-IMF loan talks are concluded, Samaras said in a nationally televised address.
"It is a national duty, and common sense also dictates, that we (first) conclude negotiations with the (EU-IMF) creditors," Samaras said.
Upcoming votes in parliament to elect a successor to President Karolos Papoulias, whose term ends in March, look likely to end in a stalemate which would automatically spark early elections.
Parliament last week fell 40 votes short of the required 200 to elect the government's candidate for president, former EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas.
Parliament will vote again on Tuesday when 200 votes are again required in the 300-seat chamber.
Should that also fail, a third and final vote requiring 180 votes would be held on December 29.
Samaras had until now steadfastly refused to bring forward the elections, which are normally due in June 2016.
But on Sunday, he also offered to broaden his cabinet to include pro-European voices.
"After the presidential election, we can broaden the government to bring in other people who believe in the country's European perspective," the PM said.
The government coalition has only 155 lawmakers in parliament, and most analysts agree that finding even 180 supporters would be a tall order.
The presidential vote was further tainted by allegations by a small nationalist party that people close to the government were trying to bribe its lawmakers into voting for Dimas.
European Union and International Monetary Fund officials fear an early election -- which could be held as early as January 25 -- would be won by radical leftist party Syriza and undo Greece's ongoing fiscal reforms.
Syriza on Sunday argued that Samaras' efforts to persuade independent lawmakers to support his candidate was futile.
"Above all, (the PM) fears the judgment of the people and he will not be able to avoid it," the radical leftists said.
Greece recently secured a two-month extension from its international creditors to conclude an ongoing fiscal audit that will determine the release of some 7.0 billion euros ($8.6 billion) in loans.
This extension expires in February, and the finance ministry has warned that the state will face cash difficulties from March onwards.
In 2012, back-to-back elections were needed in May and June to form a shaky coalition government, stalling Greece's fiscal reforms and sparking speculation that the country was about to be ejected from the eurozone.
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