Greek conservative head sworn in as PM

Elena Becatoros and Nicholas Paphitis - The Associated Press

Eurokinisi
Greek President Karolos Papoulias, right, meets with Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras before giving him a mandate to form a government in Athens, Monday, June 18.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek conservative party head Antonis Samaras was sworn in as prime minister Wednesday at the helm of a three-party coalition that will uphold the country's international bailout commitments.

The move ends a protracted political crisis that had cast grave doubt over the country's future in Europe's joint currency and threatened to plunge Europe deeper into a financial crisis with global repercussions.

Samaras, an American-educated 61-year-old economist, was sworn in three days after his party won the second national elections in six weeks but without enough votes to form a government on its own.

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June 20, 2012

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1. Dionysios Markopoulos wrote on June 20, 2012 9:31 AM	Good luck to them and may God guide the new government in the difficult work ahead. Greece can change itself to become competitive and strong again. It will take years of effort by everyone and a Spartan discipline we have yet to see. I hope against hope Greece will make it.

2. Philip Vorgias wrote on June 20, 2012 2:57 PM	Samaras finally got what he wanted, to be the PM. Now he needs to SERVE the Greek people through this difficult time. It would be nice of this Greek government recognizes their responsibility to serve the nation, instead of serving themselves-like too many Greek governments have done.

3. Nicholas Kostopoulos wrote on June 20, 2012 8:39 PM	If anyone believes that Samaras will work to benefit Greece, instead of himself and his party, you got to be living in the " Land Of OZ". He or ND and PASOK made this mess in the first place, a tiger can never changes his spots. Hence this adventure in government creation, will fail by the end of the year. The pain that the Greek citizens will have to stomach are just too cruel. After they fail, than it will end (economy).

4. Petros Kasfikis wrote on June 20, 2012 9:32 PM	I would like to be optimistic about the new venture of the Greek political system. Finally after so many years we witness the formation of a small-flexible government, which would cross the normal party lines and contain widely acceptable figures out of the old and disgraced political establishment. Undoubtedly, this new government would undergone severe pressures;it would be called to compromise incompatible and contradicted interests. However, the thee parties do not have the luxury to fail.Samaras would either become the leader who set the basis for a new political culture of cooperative governing or the fateful chief who lost the last chance to reform and save the Greek political system.

5. Philip Vorgias wrote on June 20, 2012 11:16 PM	Business as usual (monkey business) is no longer acceptable in Greece. They have clear metrics to perform to and there is little money left to embezzle. For a corrupt politician this is a living nightmare.
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Friday, May 24, 2013 Last Update: 3:36 AM ET