November 8, 2011
The struggle to appoint a new prime minister at the helm of an interim coalition government in Athens dragged on as squabbling politicians darted across the capital in frantic negotiation while EU leaders looked on nervously.
After laying down their arms long enough to agree to the formation of a broad-based administration to fend off the country's financial collapse, party heads failed to make progress over who would head the cabinet as power-sharing talks continued for a second day.
"Co-operation is occurring. But when one collaborates with another party, there are some red lines on either side which of course restrict things," said outgoing socialist premier George Papandreou, holding a final cabinet meeting in which he asked ministers to prepare to resign.
The unexpected length of the negotiations combined with their fractious nature, despite the looming threat of bankruptcy, raised fears over the ability of Greece's sparring politicians to forge consensus at all. In a nation so bitterly divided by left and right, where memories of brutal civil war and military dictatorship still run deep, coalition governments are almost non-existent.
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