Final push for Greece government falls to president

The move comes after the country's socialists became the third party to fail to form a coalition.
If the president's bid fails, another election will have to be held, probably next month.

Last Sunday, voters backed parties opposed to Greece's bailout deal that requires deep budget cuts.
Greece's political turmoil has raised the possibility that it could default on its debts and be forced out of the eurozone.

The president is expected to try to pressure parties into a government of national salvation - but the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens says he is unlikely to succeed.
The process could take days.

Evangelos Venizelos, leader of the socialist Pasok party, abandoned efforts to form a new government on Friday and said he would meet the president on Saturday morning.

He had held talks with centre-right New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, whose party came first in the election, but could not find a third partner to give them a majority in parliament.
"I hope that during the negotiations chaired by Mr Papoulias everyone will be more mature and responsible in their thinking," Mr Venizelos said.

New Democracy also failed to form a coalition earlier in the week, as did the left-wing bloc Syriza, which came second in the election.
Austerity 'denounced'
 
Syriza firmly rejects the terms of last year's EU-IMF bailout, which requires tough austerity measures in return for loans worth 130bn euros ($170bn; £105bn).

Its leader, Alexis Tsipras, said on Friday he could not join any coalition that intended to implement the bailout deal.

"The rejection of this plan does not come from Syriza but was given by the Greek people on the night of the election," he said.

"The bailout austerity has already been denounced by the Greek people with its vote, and no government has the right to enforce it." continue reading