Government Spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi said on Wednesday that the coalition government would seek a confidence vote when Parliament’s plenary reconvenes next week in an effort to dismiss speculation about early elections and in order to rally unity among the coalition MPs and deputies while the troika review is underway. The decision for a vote of confidence was made following a meeting on Wednesday between New Democracy (ND) Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and socialist (PASOK) deputy Evangelos Venizelos.

Mr. Samaras is due to make the request for a vote of confidence on Monday when the 2015 budget is due to be presented and voted on later in the week.

The statement was aimed at quashing mounting speculation over early elections amid the main opposition Coalition of the Left (SYRIZA) party’s demands for snap polls and repeated requests for renegotiations of the country’s bailout deal.

On it’s part, SYRIZA dismissed the coalition government’s move as a “last-ditch effort for survival”, adding that the collapse of the government is imminent.

The coalition government is likely to get the confidence vote it seeks due to the fact that it holds 154 seats of the 300-member Parliament.

Public opinion polls published in September showed that the SYRIZA party would be ahead of the conservative New Democracy party should elections be held now.