Judge to lead debt-ridden Greece into June 17 polls

Athens: Greece put a senior judge in charge of an emergency government on Wednesday to lead it to new elections on June 17 and bankers sought to calm public fears after the president said political chaos risked causing panic and a run on deposits.

President Karolos Papoulias, whose powers as head of state are limited, named supreme administrative court head Panagiotis Pikrammenos as caretaker prime minister.

He will have no power to take political decisions, only to carry Greece into the vote.

The parliament that was elected on May 6 will convene today and be immediately dissolved, a presidency source said.

"Thank you for your trust, and I believe that I am worthy of this mission," Pikrammenos said at a meeting with the president. "This is purely a caretaker government. However, it escapes no one that our country is going through difficult times."

Greeks have been withdrawing hundreds of millions of euros from banks in recent days as the prospect of the country being forced out of the European Union's common currency zone seems ever more real.

A new poll shows that radical leftists who reject a bailout are poised for victory, and the two establishment parties that agreed the rescue are sinking further after an historic wipeout 10 days ago.