As previewed earlier today, in a vote whose outcome was widely anticipated, Greece's Samaras failed to get enough votes (200) to push through his choice for president, Stavros Dimas.
- GREECE'S SAMARAS FAILS TO GET VOTES TO ELECT PRESIDENT: TALLY
- GREECE'S SAMARAS LOSES FIRST OF THREE DEC. VOTES ON PRESIDENT
As a reminder, this is the first of three votes, in which the candidate needs 200 votes. ND and PASOK have together 155 seats in the Parliament, and they expected to win some votes from independent MPs and possibly also some votes from Independent Greeks and Democratic Left MPs. According to Greek media, the government expects to win a total of 162-165 votes for Dimas in the first round.
The final vote: 160 For, 135 Against, and 5 Abstain. This is a problem because the whisper number was around 170 for the 3rd round vote to be even remotely close.
Up next is the second round vote when the threshold once again is 200, which will take place on December 23, with the vote limit dropping to only 180 votes in the third and last round of voting on December 29.
In other words, Samaras is a crucial 20 votes short of getting his candidate pushed through in 2 weeks, after which follows a messy election that according to recent polls may easily be won by left-wing Syriza and its anti-bailout leader, Samaras.
Should the Parliament fail to elect Greece’s next President, the Parliament dissolves and snap elections are due. That's the "worst case" scenario for the statists as Goldman warned previously of a "Cyprus-Style Prolonged Bank Holiday." [5]And considering the direct urging from none other than Juncker telling Greeks not to "vote wrong" perhaps chosing the "wrong president" is precisely what the long-suffering country needs.
For those seeking more clarity, here is the primer from Keep Talking Greece [6]:
The countdown for the first round of Presidential voting started. At 7 pm local time the roll call procedure will start in the Greek Parliament. Three hundred lawmakers will be asked to say either the name of the sole presidential candidate “Stavros Dimas” or just “Present” if they don’t agree.
According to the rules of Presidency vote, the procedure opens with the Parliament Speaker reading the statute, the votes-collectors take their places and the voting starts.
Each MP who hears his name stands up and expresses his preference. Each vote is being noted down.
No debate takes place, and no MP has the right to justify his/her vote.
The voting procedure lasts 40 minutes.
Stavros Dimas is the sole candidate proposed by coalition government partners Nea Dimokratia and PASOK.
In the first round of voting, the candidate needs 200 votes. ND and PASOK have together 155 seats in the Parliament, and they expect to win some votes from independent MPs and possibly also some votes from Independent Greeks and Democratic Left MPs. According to Greek media, the government expects to win a total of 162-165 votes for Dimas in the first round.
Also 200 votes are needed for the second round (23. December), but only 180 votes in the third and last round of voting (29. December).
All opposition parties are expected to vote “Present”.
Eight Golden Dawn MPs, currently in custody pending trial, will be taken to the Parliament and participate in the voting.
Should the Parliament fail to elect Greece’s next President, the Parliament dissolves and snap elections are due.
Pressure to MPs to vote in favor of Dimas has reached unbelievable dimensions with national and international mainstream media to warn of “an economic and political turmoil” should the country go to early elections.
Why are they afraid of the snap polls? Oh, because chances are big that left-wing SYRIZA wins the elections and attempts some radical changes in the oh-so-successful loan and austerity agreements with the country’s lenders, the Troika.