Greek PM wins vote after vow to protect debt deal

ATHENS, Greece - Greece's prime minister survived a confidence vote early Saturday, calming a revolt in his Socialist party with an emotional pledge to step aside if need be and seek a cross-party government lasting four months to safeguard Europe's new debt agreement.

George Papandreou won the critical confidence motion with a vote of 153-145 after a week of drama in Athens that horrified its European partners, spooked global markets and overshadowed the Group of 20 summit in the French resort of Cannes.

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The threat of a Greek default or exit from the common euro currency has worsened the continent's debt crisis, which is already struggling under bailouts for Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the new government that will be formed would last until the end of February.

But opposition leader Antonis Samaras, who had demanded Papandreou resign and a new government be formed that did not include members of any political party, called for snap elections. He did not say whether his conservative party would join coalition talks, due to be formally launched later Saturday when Papandreou meets the country's president.

"The masks have fallen, Mr. Papandreou has rejected our proposals in their entirety," Samaras said. "The responsibility he bears is huge. The only solution is elections."

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The vote comes days after Papandreou's ultimately scrapped plan to put the debt deal to a referendum sparked an open rebellion in the governing party, with deputies openly calling for him to step down.

The plan to put the deal to a popular vote had led to anger among European leaders and roiled global markets. Papandreou withdrew the plan Thursday.

Just before the vote, Papandreou promised to start immediate powersharing talks to form a caretaker government and expressed a willingness to step aside if needed, but ruled out snap elections that he said could scuttle the debt deal.