No Interim Government as Greek Disarray Goes On

By SUZANNE DALEY and NIKI KITSANTONIS

ATHENS — Prime Minister George A. Papandreou went on national television on Wednesday evening to announce that a new interim government had been formed.

But he did not name his successor, and in the hours that followed, it became clear that political disarray had set in once more. Mr. Papandreou’s resignation was not announced, nor was the interim government named. By early evening, the president’s office said that there would be no announcement before Thursday.

Television provided glimpses of some of the drama. A furious Giorgos Karatzaferis, the leader of the small far-right party Laos, stormed out the presidential office building shortly after Mr. Papandreou’s speech. He told waiting reporters that he had been summoned to a meeting with Mr. Papandreou; the president; and the leader of the opposition party New Democracy, Antonis Samaras, but found himself sitting in a hall alone. Apparently, the other men were too busy arguing to meet with him.

Mr. Karatzaferis, one of the few politicians willing to risk the potential damage from supporting a new power-sharing government that must take on a host of unpopular tasks, said political games were being played. "This is unacceptable," he huffed before leaving.

After months of domestic protests and building pressure from the European Union, Mr. Papandreou agreed Sunday to step down once political negotiators had established a new unity government. But the talks have dragged on since, troubled by nearly constant reverses and overshadowed by political maneuvering in advance of new elections.

The problem this evening was the choice that Mr. Papandreou and the leader of the opposition New Democracy Party had apparently made. Before Mr. Papandreou’s speech, Greek news reports claimed he was about to announce he was handing the reins to Filippos Petsalnikos, the speaker of Parliament and a stalwart of Mr. Papandreou’s Socialist party, Pasok.

But the choice caused consternation — some said a mini-revolt — among the more reform-minded, mostly younger members of both parties. Mr. Petsalnikos has been in Parliament for more than two decades and has held a number of ministerial posts, largely without distinction.

Some Pasok members appeared to push publicly for another candidate, Lucas Papademos, a respected economist and former vice president of the European Central Bank who is seen as being a dynamic and technically able choice.

But his strength makes him a potential rival for those who have aspirations in the next elections, analysts said. In addition, Mr. Papademos had set several conditions for taking the job, including a six-month term and the ability to choose his own finance minister, which had troubled some members of both parties. In fact, Mr. Papademos was acting to remove one of the most powerful members of Pasok, the current finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, who is likely to run for prime minister in the next elections.

Nonetheless, many of the younger politicians are eager for someone who will make quick progress in getting the country’s financial house in order. One prominent member of Pasok, Anna Diamantopoulou, the minister of education, issued a letter on Wednesday that was widely interpreted as public support for Mr. Papademos, the economist.

"The country needs a prime minister of high status and acceptance, both inside and out of the country, with deep knowledge of financial affairs," she wrote.

With the announcement of a new prime minister and interim government on hold, Wednesday evening brought a new round of squabbling. Members of Pasok accused New Democracy of standing in the way of Mr. Papademos’s selection, which New Democracy denied.

But all reports suggested that Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Samaras were once again negotiating over who would be the prime minister. In the late evening, some news outlets began reporting that Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Samaras had agreed on Mr. Papademos.

Mr. Papandreou’s televised address served as a kind of valedictory speech, summing up moves in recent years to stabilize and help the country, expressing the country’s continued commitment to the European bailout plan and urging political parties to transcend their differences.

Ahead of the meeting with the president, Karolos Papoulias, who was supposed to submit his resignation, Mr. Papandreou said the country’s new government would signal the "beginning of a new political mentality, a new political culture."

"Today, we leave aside our differences," he said, heralding "a common effort to ensure the country moves forward, not only to remain part of the euro zone but also to emerge from the crisis."

He said the interim government would make the necessary efforts to "justify the sacrifices made by the Greek people over the past two years," referring to a raft of wage and pension cuts as well as hefty tax increases. The chief goals would be to secure crucial rescue financing for the country and continue talks with foreign creditors, he said.

Some interpreted the tone of his speech as signaling his departure not only from Greek politics but also from the country itself.

"I never put my position above the national good," he said. "For me, Greece is above everything. Wherever I go, I will carry the Greek flag in my heart." He added that he would do everything he could to support the new prime minister and the new government.