Lucas Papademos (in picture), 64, former vice-president of the European Central Bank, is Greece’s new prime minister. He will lead an interim coalition government. The country’s conservatives and socialists agreed on Thursday on naming him in this position. According to the international media, his priority is for Greece to remain in the euro zone.

Lucas Papademos was the Governor of the Bank of Greece from 1994 to 2002 and vice president of the European Central Bank from 2002 to 2010.

George Papandreou has recently quit from the position of Greece's prime minister, after his decision to call for a referendum to establish whether Greek citizens want to take the USD 140 billion bailout loan deal proposed by the euro zone. His decision has been met with criticism not only across Europe, but amid Papandreou’s ex-party as well.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com