Greek parliament approves bailout after all-night debate

Greece’s parliament on Friday approved the country’s third international bailout after an all-night debate, hours ahead of a critical meeting by European finance ministers.

 

A majority of 222 lawmakers approved the 400-page document over 64 who voted against and 11 abstentions.

 

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had earlier urged the chamber to approve the deal “to assure the country’s ability to survive and keep on fighting.”

 

Over 40 lawmakers from Tsipras’ radical leftist Syriza party including ex-finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and other senior cadres refused to support the three-year deal, a factor which the PM had previously warned would force him to call early elections.

 

Greece’s parliament had to approve the deal before the Eurogroup of finance ministers meets later Friday in Brussels to decide whether to rubber stamp the 85-billion-euro ($94-billion) rescue plan.

 

Tsipras said Friday that failure to ratify the deal would enable Germany to push forward its proposal for a bridging loan, which he described as “a return to a crisis without end”.

 

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