Far-left factions within Greece’s government have said early elections may be called if international lenders do not soften their terms for a cash-for-reforms deal.

The warning came from Deputy Social Security Minister Dimitris Stratoulis, a hardliner within the governing Syriza party, as Athens continues negotiations with its international lenders.

Earlier Athens postponed a key debt payment of 300 million euros to the International Monetary Fund, pledging to bundle four payments due this month to a single 1.6 billion euro lump sum on June 30.

This is also the day that the bailout deal with the EU and the IMF runs out with negotiations far from reaching a conclusion.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday: “The vote of three institutions will carry significant weight for every member state, but of course in the meantime there is continual feedback from the member states.

“On the one hand there are the Greek negotiating partners but on the other hand the Eurog