The national currency is not an end in itself, but "if we must clash with the eurozone, we will do it," Popular Unity (LAE) parliamentary group spokesman Dimitris Stratoulis said in statements to private MEGA TV on Monday.

New Democracy (ND) leader Evangelos Meimarakis on Monday returned the mandate to form a government to the President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassili late on Sunday in statements to public broadcaster ERT-1 said that elections will probably be held on September 20.

There is no room for a programmatic convergence between main opposition New Democracy and ruling coalition partner SYRIZA or the forming of a government in the current parliament, government sources said on Sunday, explaining Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ refusal to meet with ND leader Vangelis Meimarakis who is in the process of an exploratory mandate granted on Friday.