Papademos, Papandreou and Samaras agree about elections on May 6 or 13

The official reason for the appointments of the prime minister with the heads of PASOK and ND, Monday and Tuesday respectively, was the reshuffle, but unofficially they agreed about the timetable of the elections. 

The parliament will be closed on Thursday, April 5, whether the elections occur on May 6 or 13. According to reports, the parliament chairman has already been informed on this development in order to initiate the relevant proceedings. Lucas Papademos immediately informed the minister of State George Stavropoulos, to determine which bills will be submitted to a vote until the end of the term.

 

After filing the gap in the Citizen Protection ministry, which engendered a minor reshuffle, Lucas Papademos is awaiting Venizelos’ resignation. It will be submitted on March 14 or 18, depending on developments in the race for PASOK’s leadership.

 

The question now is who will hold the economy reigns during the pre-election period. Most probably, deputy minister Philippos Sachinidis will be upgraded to minister and the prime minister will remain responsible for international contacts.

 

Evangelos Venizelos has collected hundreds of members' signatures from the national council and the parliamentary group, and has the support of most top executives. According to information, Christos Papoutsis is struggling to gather the necessary number of signatures for his candidacy. Such a development could lead to the direct prevalence of Evangelos Venizelos.