As Greek bailout deal passes, prime minister faces rebellion
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek Parliament and eurozone ministers approved an international loan deal Friday that the Greek government needs to avoid defaulting on a debt payment next week. But an all-night debate required in Greece, and a growing rebellion within Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ leftist Syriza party, seemed to have pushed his coalition closer to spinning apart.
The dissent may force Tsipras to soon call for a vote of confidence in his government.
W i th 222 Greek lawmakers approving the bill, 75 voting against it or abstaining, and three absent, Parliament signed off on a package that would grant Greece as much as 86 billion euros, or about $95 billion. Later in the day, the deal was ratified by eurozone finance ministers in an emergency meeting in Brussels. The accord requires Greece to put in place strict spending limits, new tax increases and sweeping changes in the way it manages its economy.
But the terms, which also include raising the retirement age and opening various parts of the Greek economy to greater competition, have proved unacceptable to a growing number of lawmakers in Tsipras’ government.
While the measure received the support of some members of the opposition, it had the backing of only 118 lawmakers in the government coalition — fewer than the 120 lawmakers Tsipras needs to survive politically.
Among the 149 members of the Syriza party in Parliament, 42 broke ranks with Tsipras, either by voting against the bailout or abstaining. One other was absent.
After the vote, an official close to Tsipras said the prime minister would call for a vote of confidence in his government after Thursday, when Greece needs to repay a 3.2 billion euro debt, or $3.6 billion, to the European Central Bank. Tsipras is counting on the bailout being approved by all parties by that day, so Athens can make the payment.
In a stormy parliamentary debate that began at 2 a.m. and lasted until 9:30 a.m. Friday, Tsipras eventually took the floor and defended his decision to press for the loan agreement.
But in making that case, the prime minister once again seemed to contradict the position he had taken just last month, when he exhorted the nation before a referendum to reject the sort of austerity terms that the new deal demands.