ATHENS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis on Thursday called early general elections for Oct. 4, urging the public to give his beleaguered conservative party a "fresh mandate" to push through reforms to tackle the global financial crisis.

    "I asked President Karolos Papoulias to disband parliament on Monday so that elections can be held on October 4," Karamanlis said in a televised address.

    A fresh mandate was needed due to the challenges imposed by the global economic crisis, whose impact was now apparent in Greece, Karamanlis believed.

    Karamanlis said he had explained the reasons for an early election next month -- just halfway through his four-year term -- to President Papoulias, calling the decision "an act of responsibility" which was in the country's best interest.

    "We have two difficult years ahead," Karamanlis announced, adding that "2010 in particular will be crucial for the course of the economy."

    Greece, which has seen a sharp rise in unemployment and a rapid decline in growth this year, is expected to declare its economy in recession next month.

    The prime minister accused the main Socialist opposition of leaving Greece with a deficit of 7.5 percentage points of GDP and unemployment above 11 percent in 2004 after its term in power.

    He also blamed the Socialists for triggering an early vote.

    Socialist leader George Papandreou had vowed to force an early election next March, when parliament will vote for the country's next president, requiring a two-thirds majority.

    "A six-month election campaign would have been disastrous for the economy," Karamanlis said.

    The country needed a stable political climate to deal with the crisis, instead of one dominated by tension and election speculation, Karamanlis added.

    "It is now up to the citizens to choose the prime minister they want, so that he can more effectively face the crisis," said the prime minister, expressing confidence in voters' choices.

    Karamanlis, who won a second-year term after calling another early election in 2007, has seen his popularity dive. Some analysts said the financial scandals above all else had undermined Karamanlis' appeal among voters.

    In response to Karamanlis' public address, Papandreou said it was not a sign of government strength but of its innate weaknesses.

    "The government has collapsed under the weight of the problems that it has created," Papandreou concluded.

    Local media said that Karamanlis took a risk by calling early elections as his conservative New Democracy party is lagging behind the Socialist party PASOK by 6 percent in polls.