New elections loom as Greek talks falter

With Greece seemingly headed for fresh elections amid faltering efforts to form a new government, opinion polls gave the Radical Left Coalition (Syrizia), which has rejected the euro bailout, a commanding lead.

The first surveys carried out since Syriza split Greece's two big parties by taking second place at last Sunday's election showed the anti-bailout leftists taking up to a seven point lead over the conservatives of New Democracy, with 27 per cent and 20.3 per cent respectively.

The third-placed socialists of Pasok, who have two days to try to form some kind of unity government, have sunk to just 12 per cent in the polls. The radical left's leader Alexis Tsipras toned down his calls for Greece to renege on the terms previously agreed upon for its rescue loans.