GREEK DRAMA

Greece Forced to Hold Snap Elections

Parliament failed to elect new president.

Greece will have to hold early general elections after presidential candidate Stavros Dimas failed to secure enough votes from parliament to confirm him to power. The former European commissioner was backed by Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, but he could not garner the 180 out of 300 votes needed to cement his presidency in the third and final round of voting Monday. Samaras announced that general elections will now be held Jan. 25. The move for snap elections could throw Greece’s international bailout into jeopardy. Dimas’ main competition comes from the radical left-wing Syriza party, which has vowed to overturn recent reforms and criticized Greece’s bailout. The Athens stock exchange’s benchmark index also dropped more than 10 percent after the vote triggering snap elections.