“This is the solidarity that we owe Greece, to enable the entire eurozone to return to stability and credibility”, he said. But its leader, prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who previously held no government position whatsoever, and took power at the relatively young age of 40, has yet to prove himself.
Advertisement
The embattled premier has warned he may be forced to call early elections if the revolt continues. Syriza was elected on an anti-austerity platform.
Still, some of those who rebelled against Tsipras on Friday could still opt to support the government in a confidence vote – as could other pro-European parties like the centrist Potami and the centre-left PASOK, leaving unclear the final outcome. The rebels represented nearly a third of Syriza’s MPs.
It took hours of debate but in the end the vote passed comfortably with 222 yes votes out of Greece’s 300-strong parliament.
The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, still considers Greece’s debt to be unsustainable and says the country needs debt relief of some sort.
“We look forward to working with the authorities to develop their program in more detail and for Greece’s European partners to make decisions on debt relief that will allow Greece’s debt to become sustainable”, said Delia Velculescu, the IMF’s negotiator on Greece in this round of bailout talks.
The bill may have passed, but Tsipras has paid a heavy political price.
But there were 31 “No” votes from Syriza members, and 11 abstentions – the biggest rebellion within the Syriza party so far.
They believe the prime minister has comprehensively betrayed election pledges to turn his back on austerity.
The vote “showed that the government coalition is very significantly weakened”, said Nicholas Economides, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. If he loses the confidence vote, it could trigger snap elections – an eventuality that might jeopardize the the debt-riddled nation’s aid program.
Asked whether this meant the bridge loan option was likely to be chosen amid misgivings in some states, notably Germany, about another Greek rescue, Breidthardt said: “It is now in the hands of the eurozone finance ministers to take a final decision”.
MPs began voting on the package at 9.30am after a rancorous, all-night debate that saw the divisions within the ruling leftwing Syriza party deepen.
Greece faces an urgent deadline on August 20, when it must repay about €3.2bn to the European Central Bank (ECB).
If it had failed to agree on new terms, the European Central Bank could have stopped giving emergency funds to Greek banks.
Adding to Tsipras’s troubles, parliamentary speaker and Syriza anti-austerity hardliner Zoe Konstantopoulou snubbed a request from Tsipras to speed up handling of the bailout bill.
Advertisement
She said she could not support the deal, and delayed the debate by raising several concerns – to the PM’s visible frustration. And twelve left-wing politicians announced this week they will create a new anti-bailout movement, with former energy minister and government dissenter Panagiotis Lafazanis saying he’ll join.
