ATHENS — Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou narrowly survived a confidence vote Friday evening, allowing the embattled premier to stay on to pave the way for passage of Greece’s $178-billion bailout deal.
Papandreou will now open talks with the main opposition party about forming a coalition government and will oversee the arrival of the bailout package.
Without the funding from the eurozone, Greece would have run out of money in December.
Earlier this week, the embattled Papandreou backed down from a controversial plan to hold a referendum on that aid package after his surprise announcement stunned European officials and roiled global markets.
Papandreou’s call for a vote angered many of his own Socialist deputies and touched off a political fire storm in Athens that threatened to topple the government.