Second day of power-sharing talks begin in Greece

Athens, Greece: Greece’s conservative leader will hold a second day of talks with rival party leaders in an attempt to form a coalition government, after the debt-crippled country’s second inconclusive election in six weeks. Antonis Samaras’ New Democracy party won 129 of Parliament’s 300 seats on Sunday, not enough to govern alone. He is seeking an alliance with the third-placed Socialists and the smaller Democratic Left party. [caption id=“attachment_349204” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The winner of the Greek elections, conservative Antonis Samaras, center, answers journalists questions in the Greek parliament in Athens. AP”]  [/caption] Both conservatives and Socialists have pledged to respect the commitments for further austerity and reforms that Greece undertook as conditions for two massive international bailouts. The Democratic Left is anti-austerity in principle, but wavering. The second-placed, anti-bailout Syriza radical left party has refused to join in a coalition. Samaras’ mandate to form a government expires on Wednesday. AP