Insight - Greek premier prepared European ground before vote gamble

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is seen during the first of three rounds of a presidential vote at the Greek parliament in Athens December 17, 2014 .REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has bet on Greece's future with an early vote for the presidency. But in contrast to a recent predecessor, he made sure before dropping the bombshell that Berlin and Brussels wouldn't stand in the way.

Samaras's decision last week to bring the three-stage parliamentary vote forward to this month from February took the Greek establishment and financial markets by surprise.