By Angelika Papamiltiadou

ATHENS (MNI) – Greek finance minister Evangelos Venizelos said
today that early national elections will take place after February end
2012, when the negotiations for the new bailout plan are concluded.

Venizelos spoke after the closing statement of prime minister
George Papandreou, which is unprecedented. However, it is the second
time in a row Venizelos took the stand after Papandreou which indicates
he will be playing a leading role in the formation of the new coalition
government.

A senior government source told Market News International that
Venizelos, in exchange for pressuring reluctant MPs to support the
confidence vote, will be named as the head of the new coalition
government.

“Venizelos can gather support from two other parties and get the
broader consensus needed to carry on negotiations with the EU and the
IMF. But I doubt that the main opposition party will be included in the
coalition” the source said.

Earlier, Papandreou hinted that he will be stepping down and will
visit the president of the Republic tomorrow to inform him of his
decision to negotiate a coalition government.

But from his speech it was clear that he did not want to go to the
negotiating table with the conservative party. Instead he attacked the
party leader, Antonis Samaras, for his stance against the new bailout
plan.

But Venizelos, in contrast, congratulated Samaras for finally
agreeing to support the new lending agreement.

Venizelos also said that on Monday, at the eurogroup meeting in
Brussels, “Greece must have a credible representation in order to secure
the agreement for the sixth tranche.”

“On October 21st, after fierce debate, the eurogroup approved the
disbursement of the 8 billion euros. We must reaffirm that,” Venizelos
said.

In a dramatic tone he said that “the country is in grave danger to
lose its rights.”

“Our drama is at its peak. Now we wait for redemption,” Venizelos
added.

Last week a top Eurozone official told MNI that there were heated
arguments within the eurogroup as Germany, Netherlands and Finland
insisted on delaying the endorsement for the sixth tranche.

The approval came after fierce pressure by the council’s president
Jean-Claude Juncker “who took the decision upon him.”

Yesterday Juncker, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Cannes,
said it was a pity that Greece wasted the decision for the sixth tranche
by calling the referendum.

** Market News International Athens **

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