ATHENS, Greece—Greece’s main opposition party tried to form a new government Friday in the wake of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ resignation, but is not expected to succeed — paving the way for another potentially destabilizing election.
Tsipras resigned late Thursday and called an early election next month to deal with a rebellion in his radical left Syriza party over the terms of Greece’s new bailout deal.
The opposition has few chances of uniting and forming a government, meaning that after more than five years of a worsening financial crisis, Greece is headed for its fifth national election in six years. Tsipras is widely tipped to win the vote, though if he fails to secure an outright majority he could have to seek a new coalition.
His decision to call a vote so early — just hours after Greece started tapping loans from its 86 billion euro ($95 billion) rescue program — amounts to a bet that he can regain power with a new government that would not be hobbled by internal dissent.
