Greece prepares for departure of its PM

The Greek capital woke up on Saturday to the victory of the Prime Minister in the vote of confidence - and the knowledge that George Papandreou would almost certainly be replaced within the next few days by his deputy and rival Evangelos Venizelos.

The Greek capital woke up on Saturday to the victory of the Prime Minister in the vote of confidence - and the knowledge that George Papandreou would almost certainly be replaced within the next few days by his deputy and rival Evangelos Venizelos.

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He survived the vote of confidence with a slim majority of 153 votes to 145, but is almost certain to announce he will quit.

Papandreou met the Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, at noon local time on Saturday and told him that the nation had to forge a political consensus to prove it wanted to keep the euro, launching his push for a new coalition government to save the nation from bankruptcy.

Negotiations on a new Greek coalition government will begin soon, Papandreou said.

GNS