Following an all-night debate, the Greek National Assembly voted this morning in favor of the third packet of austerity measures. The deal was approved by 222 MPs, 64 were opposed to it and 11 were neutral.
SYRIZA lost their slim majority in Parliamnet after only 118 MPs of the left supported the deal- that is two less from the borderline number of 120 that Tsipras had set as an informal limit and that means he will still enjoy a majority support from his party.
Tsipras was dealt a blow by 44 of his party’s MPs – 32 voted against the deal, 11 were neutral and one MP was absent. According to the first unofficial information, in this environment, once Greece fulfills its obligation to the creditors and receives the first tranche of the loan on August 20, Tsipras will request in the Assembly a vote of confidence for his government. The result of that vote will strongly influence the next steps in the future of the first leftist government of Greece, as well as the date of the early election.
The discussion began at 3 in the morning and was over around 9 o’clock, Athens time. Tsipras made a final effort to win over MPs on his side, by claiming that the dilemma that is facing the government was a financial a social collapse of the country versus steering clear of that.
MP Panagiotis Lafazanis, the former Energy Minister, who announced yesterday that he will form a new movement, said he didn’t know whether he should pity the government of be ashamed of it.
The Assembly’s President Zoi Konstantoupoulou, one of the loudest enemies of the austerity measures, noted that she will stop supporting and defending Tsipras, while Janis Varoufakis who said he will vote against the deal, said that he would leave his seat in the Assembly if Tsipras asks him to do that.
The deal was voted with the support of opposition parties River, New Democracy and PASOK, who said they will support the measures although they are not satisfied with Tsipra’s attitude.
– We are going to vote for the deal because we are indebted to the Greek people. We don’t trust you (SYRIZA) but there is no other way- said the leader of River, Stavros Teodorakis.
