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Greek MPs approve new prior actions to unlock further bailout loans

Xinhua, November 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Greek parliament approved on Thursday a draft bill containing a third batch of prior actions in two months in order to unlock a two billion euro loan tranche to Athens in coming days and an extra amount of 10 billion euros for the recapitalization of banks.

The bill passed with the support of 153 MPs, while 137 MPs voted against it with 290 legislators participating in the roll call vote.

However, the ruling coalition's majority shrank from 155 seats to 153 seats in the assembly as one legislator of the Radical Left SYRIZA party and one of the junior partners, the Independent Greeks (ANEL), voted against party line.

Stathis Panagoulis and Nikos Nikolopoulos were immediately expelled from the parliamentary groups of SYRIZA and ANEL respectively.

Thursday's vote had turned into a critical test of the government's ability to pass painful measures, as reservations within the ranks of the two ruling parties have spiked lately under pressure from society.

A few hours before the vote former government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis quit from his position as SYRIZA MP at the request of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and was replaced by Deputy Administrative Reform Minister Christoforos Vernadakis who voted in favor.

Sakellaridis who had served as government spokesman in the first SYRIZA- led government from January to August this year, said he "could no longer contribute to the implementation of government policies."

Nikolopoulos had warned in interviews in local media that he would vote against the bill due to "catastrophic" articles, such as the one regarding the new terms on home foreclosures which protect only a small percentage of overindebted households from auctions.

With the government left with a perilously slim majority in the assembly and reactions to painful measures escalating inside the assembly and outside in the streets, political analysts commented that the next critical votes on a new pension system reform and other policies in coming weeks could be decisive for the coalition's fate and the bailout's implementation.

Tsipras quit in August and forced the early elections on September 20 after a party munity over the third bailout reached in the summer requesting a fresh mandate to implement the bailout to keep Greece afloat.

Although most SYRIZA members who had disagreed with the U turn from the previous anti- bailout platform chose different paths, disgruntlement over the final policies as they emerged from a new round of negotiations with lenders this fall has increased again within party ranks.

Media commentators in Athens noted that deputies feel the pressure from the culminating anti- austerity protests. On Thursday the main labor union of civil servants ADEDY staged a new rally against home foreclosures, as lawmakers were voting on the bill.

A week ago Greece was hit by the first general strike called since SYRIZA first took office in January, while unions warned with more strike actions in coming weeks. Endit