Samaras Has Four Weeks to Trump Syriza on Greek Economy

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras failed to convince lawmakers to stay the economic course he’s set. He now has less than four weeks to persuade Greece’s voters to do the same.

Samaras will meet with President Karolos Papoulias in Athens today to request early elections on Jan. 25 having steered the country at the epicenter of Europe’s debt crisis out of recession. That achievement gives him a chance to reel in the opposition Syriza party’s lead in the polls as it pushes to abandon the austerity measures tied to Greece’s bailout that are credited in Berlin and Brussels for the nascent recovery.