Greece warned that political chaos may hurt credit rating

The credit rating agency Fitch has warned that prolonged political uncertainty in Greece could hurt the country's sovereign rating, after a snap general election was called for Jan. 25.

The agency said Tuesday it is unclear whether any single party would be able to form a government alone, a stalemate that would «increase the risks to Greeces creditworthiness.» It also cited risks of further delays to bailout negotiations and a potential drop in bank deposits.

Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday requested that parliament be dissolved following the failure by lawmakers to elect Greeces new president after three rounds of voting.

An opinion poll published late Monday gave the anti-bailout Syriza party a 3-point lead over the conservatives, indicating that neither leading party could govern without forming a coalition.

[The Associated Press]