Greece’s PM faces calls from his party to resign over bailout referendum

GlobalPost

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is facing calls from prominent members of his ruling party to resign, according to a report by state-run Athens News Agency.

Bloomberg says six senior members of Papandreou's center-left Pasok party have called for him to step down, citing the ANA report.

More from GlobalPost: Greece sets surprise referendum on bailout

The six members of the Pasok national council reportedly sent a joint letter to Papandreou saying that Greece needs a government with political legitimacy.

"The country urgently needs a politically legitimate government, a plan for a national revival," ANA quoted the letter as saying, according to Reuters.

The call to resign comes a day after Papandreou said there would be a referendum on the proposed second EU bailout deal, the BBC notes.

More from GlobalPost: European shares tumble on Greek referendum news

Papandreou's call for a referendum is considered risky because failure by Greeks to approve the bailout may push the country into default. It is also likely to rattle investors and European governments.

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