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World

Greece: Markets hit as government officials admit presidential vote in doubt

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Pensioners take part in a protest outside the Finance Ministry and in front of Christmas decorations outside Greece's Parliament in central Athens on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. The protesters demanded a return of benefits axed under successive austerity measures. Greece's draconian bailout program faces an uncertain future as the conservative-led government could be forced to hold a snap election early in 2015. The uncertainty has spooked investors, triggering a heaving sell off on the Athens Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

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    Pensioners take part in a protest outside the Finance Ministry and in front of Christmas decorations of Syntagma square in central Athens on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. The protesters demanded a return of benefits axed under successive austerity measures. Greece's draconian bailout program faces an uncertain future as the conservative-led government could be forced to hold a snap election early in 2015. The uncertainty has spooked investors, triggering a heaving sell off on the Athens Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

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    Greece's conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, addresses conservative party members of parliament, in Athens, Thursday, Dec 11, 2014. Samaras has called a vote in parliament this month for a new Greek president _ a ballot that could trigger and early general election. The prime minister said the collapse of his government could renew a risk to Greece's place in the euro. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

ATHENS, Greece – Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange are again suffering heavy losses after officials in the governing coalition conceded they were still short of the support needed to stop the government collapsing in a parliamentary vote this month.

In late afternoon trading Thursday, shares were down nearly 8 percent, while the yield on Greece's 10-year-bond jumped to nearly 9 percent.

Despite recently emerging from recession, the country was thrown back into uncertainty this week, when conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called an early vote in parliament to elect a new president — despite requiring support from opposition lawmakers to avoid a stalemate.

The deputy trade minister, Gerasimos Giakoumatos, in a radio interview Thursday said "at the moment we do not have the numbers."