Greece’s Political Parties Reach Agreement

It looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel for Greece: The country’s New Democracy, Pasok, and Democratic Left parties say they’ve definitely agreed to form a coalition government, meaning Antonis Samaras can be sworn in as prime minister today, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Pasok chief Evangelos Venizelos announced the deal, saying that though the parties were still hammering out their agenda “the parliamentary conditions have been met for the formation of a government.” The three parties will control 179 of the 300 seats in Parliament, giving them a wide majority over Greece’s Syriza party, which took second place in the weekend election.

The sides also haven’t decided who will fill the country’s Cabinet posts. Pasok and New Democracy are leaning toward appointing technocrats, while Samaras intends to fill posts with party loyalists—though so far no one seems eager to take the key finance minister job. For now, outgoing Finance Minister Giorgos Zanias will still represent Greece at an upcoming eurozone meeting, which Venizelos hailed as “the first big battle on the revision of the bailout agreement,” according to the AP.