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Lucas Papademos named new Greek prime minister

By IANS,

London : Lucas Papademos, a former European Central Bank vice president, was named the new Greek prime minister Thursday, BBC reported.

Papademos will replace George Papandreou, who announced Wednesday he was resigning after a disastrous call for a referendum on the eurozone rescue package.

“The president, after recommendations by political leaders who attended the meeting, has instructed Lucas Papademos to form a new government,” the president’s office said in a statement after talks between political leaders and Papademos.

The new government will be sworn in at 12.00 GMT Friday, a presidency official said.

Leaders of the three main parties making up the new government of national unity had been meeting Greek president Karolos Papoulias to try and reach a deal.

Papademos will head an interim government being formed to make sure debt-strapped Greece gets its latest bailout payment, and to approve a new 130 billion euro ($177 billion) international rescue package from eurozone partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).