Chaos as Greek unity government deal falls apart

A DEAL on forming a Greek national unity government collapsed last night as the country headed towards an economic abyss, hours after outgoing prime minister George Papandreou said he was handing over to a coalition that does not exist.

In a day that was bizarre and chaotic even by Greek political standards, Papandreou wished his successor well and headed off to meet the president — only for it to emerge that there was no successor due to feuding in the political parties.

Earlier, party sources said senior members of the socialist and conservative camps had settled on the speaker of parliament, veteran socialist Filippos Petsalnikos, barring last-minute snags.