The package was backed by 251 lawmakers, out of 300 deputies, in a late-night sitting giving Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a mandate to continue last-ditch talks with the country's creditors this weekend.
But around 10 deputies from Tsipras's radical left Syriza party defected during the vote, including two who voted against the plan, which including a pension overhaul, tax hikes and privatisations similar to those offered by creditors last month.
During a late-night debate in Athens, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras acknowledged that the measures were a long way from the anti-austerity platform his radical Syriza party was elected on.
Urging the MPs to back his negotiating position, Mr. Tsipras admitted he had made mistakes during his tenure.
Mr. Tsipras also described the struggle with the creditors - the European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) - as a battle.
"Now I have the feeling we've reached the demarcation line," he said. "From here on there is a minefield."
Austerity policies demanded by the creditors were rejected by the Greek people in a referendum on Sunday.
But Mr. Tsipras insisted that his latest proposal contains measures that would help the economy and would unlock sufficient financing for the country to emerge from its protracted crisis and see its massive debt tackled.
In a statement issued after the vote, Mr. Tsipras said he had a "strong mandate to complete the negotiations to reach an economically viable and socially fair agreement".
"The priority now is to have a positive outcome to the negotiations," he said.
Athens has drawn up the plans in an attempt to secure its formal request for a bailout through the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).
Greece's new finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos stressed the urgency of the loan request "given the fragility of our banking system" and lack of liquidity.
Mr. Tsakalotos told the Greek parliament the referendum result had strengthened the government's hand in seeking a new deal.
"I think after the referendum we are in a stronger position," he said.
The proposals from Athens would provide three years of financing with repayments spaced more evenly than under previous bailouts, he said, and claimed there was a growing consensus for the need for a long-term debt relief agreement by 2022.
He added: "I think most of what we are asking for on debt relief is going to happen."...
(rte.ie)
11/7/15
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Related:
Ψηφίστηκε το νομοσχέδιο με 251 «Ναι»-Σημαντικές απώλειες για την κυβέρνηση
'Major' decision on Greece on Saturday (Jeroen Dijsselbloem)
Greece eyes austerity in fresh EU bailout bid
Greek government to seek parliament approval for negotiations on Friday (government source)
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Those who voted 'present' or were absent, as well as two of those who voted against, were members of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party -- raising questions about the stability of his government....
ReplyDeleteThe dissenters included two ministers -- Panagiotis Lafazanis who holds the energy portfolio and Dimitris Stratoulis who holds the social security portfolio -- and prominent party member and Parliament Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou.
"I support the government but I don't support an austerity program of neoliberal deregulation and privatizations which ... would prolong the vicious circle of recession, poverty and misery," Lafazanis said in a statement released to the press explaining his "radical and categorical" objection to the proposal.
Former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who resigned this week, was absent for family reasons, saying on Twitter he was spending the weekend with his daughter who was visiting from Australia. Although he sent a letter saying he would have voted in favour had he been present, it could not be counted among the 'yes' votes under parliamentary rules.
All opposition parties except the Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn and the Communist Party voted in favour............AP.....ctvnews.ca
EU wertet Reformvorschläge als Gesprächsbasis...
ReplyDeleteRechtzeitig vor Ablauf der Frist hat Griechenland seine Reformvorschläge per E-Mail verschickt. Die Euro-Staaten haben den Erhalt nun offiziell bestätigt und zudem auch mitgeteilt, dass sie diese als Grundlage für neue Verhandlungen anerkennen. Griechenland will im Gegenzug dafür ein weiteres Hilfspaket in Höhe von 53,5 Milliarden Euro.
Doch Alexis Tsipras braucht bei den Verhandlungen auch Rückenstärke durch das Parlament und die hat er in Form einer positiven Abstimmung für das Reformpaket auch erhalten. Die größte griechische Oppositionspartei Neue Demokratie hat in der Nacht auf Samstag bereits angekündigt, Ministerpräsident Alexis Tsipras bei der Parlamentsabstimmung über die Reformpläne zu unterstützen. "Wir wollen bis Sonntag eine Vereinbarung über den Verbleib Griechenlands in Europa", sagt Parteichef Evangelos Meimarakis.
Gestärkt in die Verhandlungen
Der kleinere Koalitionspartner der griechischen Regierungspartei Syriza erklärt, sich bei dem Votum im Parlament ebenfalls hinter die Sparvorschläge von Tsipras gestellt zu haben. Diese Entscheidung habe die Partei allerdings gegen ihr Gewissen und nur "mit schwerem Herzen" getroffen, erklärt Parteichef Panos Kammenos von den Unabhängigen Griechen...................diepresse.com
11/7/15
Eurozone finance ministers on Saturday were to give their verdict on Greece's last-chance bid for a third bailout to keep its ship-wrecked economy afloat and prevent its exit from the single European currency....
ReplyDeleteBut an EU leader and two other sources gave no more than a 50-50 chance that a make-or-break European summit on Sunday would approve a deal.
Hardliners Germany and the Baltic states are exasperated with Greece's hard-left government, blaming it for more than five months of bitter negotiations in which trust has been the biggest casualty.
Finance ministers from the 19-country eurozone will meet in Brussels at 1300 GMT Saturday to review Greece's proposals for market-oriented reforms in exchange for its third bailout since 2010.
The package, submitted by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, was approved by parliament in Athens after midnight Friday. It was backed by 251 out of 300 deputies......AFP............dailystar.com.lb
Greek minister: Syriza rebels should resign...
ReplyDeleteOver in Athens, economy minister Giorgos Stathakis has said he’s confident the government will be able to get parliamentary approval for its reform plans.
And he also warned that any Syriza MP who disagrees should resign their seat.
Stathakis told Mega TV that:
“If a lawmaker of a leftist party disagrees with the policies of the government...they should follow the rules and if they strongly disagree resign their seat.
Stathakis added that “if it were me, I would resign”.
(that’s via Reuters)
Last night, 17 Syriza MPs either opposed the plan, abstained or were absent during the vote. That included energy minister, and influential Syriza member, Panagiotis Lafazanis.
theguardian.com