Presidential election gambit may backfire for Greece PM

Athens

DEBT-LADEN Greece's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is a late convert to austerity whose penchant for risky politics once again is threatening to torpedo his career.

In a surprise move this month, Mr Samaras pushed forward the date of a high-stakes presidential election, hoping to have one less problem to deal with when talks with the country's European Union and International Monetary Fund creditors resume in February.