Greek Crisis: Confidence Vote In PM Under Way

A confidence vote in the Greek prime minister is under way in Athens, where the leader earlier called for unity and said his country's eurozone bailout package must not be lost.

George Papandreou was speaking to politicians after two days of chaos that saw him propose - and then scrap - a referendum on the rescue deal.

Calling for support, he said the package agreed last week was a "national priority" and said he intended to hold power sharing talks from Saturday with all parties to form a government of unity.

Mr Papandreou's PASOK party has 152 seats in the 300-member parliament, but one of these politicians has already said she will not approve the confidence vote.

Only one more defection would strip the government of its majority and probably trigger an early election as well as more political uncertainty.

That may mean it would not be in a position to receive the next slice of bailout funds it desperately needs to avoid defaulting on its loans.

"He [Papandreou] is clinging to the steering wheel of a car that is heading over a cliff," a spokesman for the conservative New Democracy party told a Greek television station.

Mr Papandreou said earlier his only interest is the future of Greece, and has suggested that if MPs back him in the vote tonight he will then stand down.

"I don't care about being re-elected," he said. "I am interested in saving the country."

He added that he was open to calls for the creation of a transitional government that would see through the bailout deal, with early elections to follow.

"Let everything be discussed - the makeup of the government and anything else. (...) I am not glued to my seat," he said.

Professor Kevin Featherstone, an expert in contemporary Greek politics at the London School of Economics, told Sky News that the vote was a serious threat to Mr Papandreou.

"We've seen a number of his own party calling for him to go - a very unusual degree of dissent," he said.

"It must remain open whether he can win that vote of confidence or not."

Meanwhile, socialist MP Evi Kaili told Sky News: "The important thing now is to secure our place in the eurozone, then move on to national elections."

The Greek political drama has overshadowed the G20 summit in Cannes.

Speaking at the conclusion of the summit, the Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Greeks have to decide, do they want to stay in the eurozone, accept the debt reduction package that was negotiated and make it work for them within the eurozone. Or do they want to take a different path.

"What they can't do is string this out endlessly with another round of conversations, discussions and negotiations. The world can't wait."

Much of Europe was shocked on Monday when Mr Papandreou abruptly announced that he would put the £100bn rescue plan, agreed at a eurozone summit only last week, to the Greek people.

However, the Greek leader on Thursday said the "referendum was never an end in itself" , suggesting he had made the call to force political agreement.

This morning Mr Papandreou's finance minster confirmed the decision not to hold a public vote in a phone call to Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission's economy and monetary affairs chief Olli Rehn and German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.