Premier Andreas Papandreou, hospitalized for pneumonia, experienced heart and kidney complications early Sunday, hospital officials said.
The 70-year-old socialist leader, asked to form a new government by Tuesday night, was hospitalized in intensive care. He was given the mandate Friday by President Christos Sartzetakis after conservatives failed to form a governing coalition.In a statement released at 2 a.m. Sunday (5 p.m. MDT Saturday), General State hospital said Papandreou experienced heart and kidney problems.
Papandreou was admitted to the cardiac ward Thursday for treatment of a "respiratory infection," eight months after undergoing open heart surgery.
Officials at Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK, said no political consultations on forming a new government were scheduled during the weekend. The party came in a distant second in national elections last Sunday to Constantine Mitsotakis' conservative New Democracy party.
Papandreou's support eroded after his government was linked to a $200 million financial scandal that forced two Cabinet ministers to step down.
In the June 18 election, no party received the absolute majority needed in the 300-member Parliament to form a government on its own. PASOK won 125 seats and New Democracy won 145.
A leftist coalition, an alliance of the Greek Communist Party and the Eurocommunists, rejected Mitsotakis' proposal to form a temporary coalition government to bring socialist officials accused of wrongdoing to trial before calling new elections.
If no solution is found by July 3 when the newly elected Parliament is scheduled to convene, then it is dissolved and a caretaker regime takes over.