Hours after surviving a parliamentary confidence vote, Papandreou told President Karolos Papoulias that Greece had to avoid early elections, as he pushed for a broad-based government to secure a bailout — the main weapon in the eurozone’s battle against its spreading economic crisis.

“My aim is to immediately create a government of cooperation,” he told the president in the presence of reporters before the two leaders began talks behind closed doors. “A lack of consensus would worry our European partners over our country’s will to stay in the eurozone.”

“Consensus is the one and only way,” Papoulias responded.

In a late night speech to parliament, Papandreou said the new coalition should be formed to ram the 130-billion-euro bailout deal through the assembly, the last financial lifeline for a nation that is due to run out of money in December.

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