Popular Unity leader Lafazanis concludes unsuccessful bid to form government, informs president

Gazzetta team 27 Αυγούστου 2015 - 17:07

Reaching the end of a three-day exploratory mandate, Popular Unity leader Panagiotis Lafazanis on Thursday handed it back and informed President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos that he had been unsuccessful in his bid to form a coalition government.

As he left the presidential mansion, Lafazanis repeated demands that elections should not be held earlier than September 27 and that Pavlopoulos convene a political leaders' council.

In statements he stressed that the president's job was to protect the letter and spirit of the Constitution and especially the ability of the Greek people to vote freely and fully informed.

"It is a provocation to rush to elections," he added, noting that the time periods foreseen by the Constitution must be fully exhausted and that elections must not be held earlier than September 27.

"It is the president's responsibility to rise to this democratic challenge. He will be responsible if he does not and, if he does not, we will be forced to make statements that we would not like to make," Lafazanis said.