Is This Man Greece's Next Leader?

With George Papandreou set to step down in favor of a unity government, officials from both parties have a new leader in mind: Lucas Papademos, former vice president of the European Central Bank. Many insiders see Papademos as an appropriate choice for compromise between the parties, but some remain skeptical. Some within Papandreou’s Pasok party are calling for a “political person,” while the opposition “wants a technocrat,” a Pasok official tells the Wall Street Journal.

The opposition wants to reshuffle several ministries, but current Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos will likely retain his position. "There has to be continuity on who the eurozone is talking to," the Pasok official says. But not everyone is happy with the plan. A meeting of Greece’s president and all party leaders has been canceled after the Communist party and a leftist party, angered over the absence of elections for the unity government, boycotted the gathering, ekathimerini.com notes. “Are we saved?” a taxi driver asks Reuters. “I don't think so if nothing is done to stop this practice of slapping more and more taxes, because people's pockets will be empty.” (More Greece stories.)