November 4, 2011
Greece's political drama is propelling a new protagonist to the fore: fiery conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras, longtime friend—and nemesis—of the embattled prime minister.
Mr. Samaras, a 60-year-old U.S.-educated economist, is the favorite to win the next elections, and is pushing for them to happen as soon as possible.
That prospect is causing concern in other European capitals including Berlin and Paris, where Mr. Samaras is viewed as an unpredictable populist who may not stick to Greece's tough austerity program.
Mr. Samaras's unusual relationship with Prime Minister George Papandreou was center stage on Thursday as world leaders and financial markets watched a naked power struggle unfold in Athens.
The extroverted economist and the mild-mannered Socialist premier have been good friends ever since they studied together at Amherst College in Massachusetts in the early 1970s, against a background of Vietnam War protests and Greek hopes for a return to democracy after the dark years of the country's military junta.
Nearly 40 years on, the pair are fighting over the shape of a national-unity government to avert Greece's financial meltdown and exit from the euro.
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