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Greece: Markets hit as presidential vote in doubt

Pensioners take part in a protest outside the Finance Ministry and in front of Christmas decorations outside Greece's Parliament in central Athens on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. The protesters demanded a return of benefits axed under successive austerity measures. Greece's draconian bailout program faces an uncertain future as the conservative-led government could be forced to hold a snap election early in 2015. The uncertainty has spooked investors, triggering a heaving sell off on the Athens Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) Pensioners take part in a protest outside the Finance Ministry and in front of Christmas decorations outside Greece's Parliament in central Athens on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. The protesters demanded a return of benefits axed under successive austerity measures. Greece's draconian bailout program faces an uncertain future as the conservative-led government could be forced to hold a snap election early in 2015. The uncertainty has spooked investors, triggering a heaving sell off on the Athens Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

By Associated Press December 11, 2014 1 min read

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange are again suffering heavy losses after officials in the governing coalition conceded they were still short of the support needed to stop the government collapsing in a parliamentary vote this month.

In late afternoon trading Thursday, shares were down nearly 8 percent, while the yield on Greece’s 10-year-bond jumped to nearly 9 percent.

Despite recently emerging from recession, the country was thrown back into uncertainty this week, when conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called an early vote in parliament to elect a new president – despite requiring support from opposition lawmakers to avoid a stalemate.

The deputy trade minister, Gerasimos Giakoumatos, in a radio interview Thursday said “at the moment we do not have the numbers.”