Greece parties agree coalition government
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A deal has been struck to form a new coalition government in Greece, including New Democracy, Pasok and the smaller Democratic Left.
BBC News
A deal has been struck to form a new Greek coalition government, say the parties involved.

Antonis Samaras of New Democracy, the party which narrowly won Sunday's elections, has met President Karolos Papoulias to confirm the deal.

Mr Samaras is now being sworn in as prime minister, with the cabinet to follow on Thursday.

The coalition will also include the Socialists (Pasok) and the smaller Democratic Left.

But second-place Syriza will be a defiant voice of opposition, correspondents say.

"Greece has a government," said Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos.

"New Democracy, Pasok and Democratic Left have taken on the burden of responsibility to re-negotiate the bailout agreement and [the job] of exiting Greece from the crisis," he said.

The latest developments come after Greeks were forced to return to the polls on Sunday, after parties failed to agree a government on the results of the first election on 6 May.

Greece has endured nearly seven weeks of political uncertainty which threatened to spark turmoil throughout the eurozone and beyond.

The country is in its fifth year of recession, and there is growing antipathy to the tough terms of Greece's huge bailout from the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Mr Venizelos said Greece would be represented by outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday.