Resistance builds in Greek parliament to bailout plan

by Magda Panoutsopoulou

ATHENS

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have a tough battle ahead to get the bailout agreement with creditors ratified by the Greek parliament. 

The Greek parliament will vote on Wednesday on key reform measures that must be passed if the country is to receive further bailout loans.

One minister has already resigned. Nikolaos Chountis, deputy minister for European Affairs, gave up his post on Monday. Chountis voted for the bailout proposals that the Greek government proposed to its European creditors, when the parliament passed them on July 10. But he announced at the time that he would not support a bailout agreement. He is to take up the post of a European Parliament member who recently resigned his post. 

Tsipras already faces a revolt from the left wing of his own party.

Productive Reconstruction Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis said in a statement on Tuesday that he called on the government and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras "at the ultimate moment, to take back the agreement before the final decision is taken in parliament".

He added that the government's agreement with the creditors is "unacceptable" and that is wasn't suitable for a radical party like SYRIZA, and a government that had promised the end of austerity, to act in this way.

The "so-called partners," said Lafazanis, and first of all the German establishment "treated our country as if it was their colony and behaved as as ruthless blackmailers and "economic murderers."

"With this deal, the people's mandate and the 'proud no' of the Greek people in the referendum is cancelled," he said.

Lafazanis constated that the agreement may pass the Greek parliament with the support of opposition parties New Democracy, PASOK and Potami.  

But Lafazanis insisted that "it will not pass the people who will annul it in practice with unity and opposition."

According to Lafazanis, Greece had and has an alternative solution and concluded "the creditors' posed a dilemma: Compromise or face disaster. But this is false, and the people's conscience will defeat it." 

But opposition party leaders have announced their support of the bailout deal.

The Potami party, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that it will support Tsipras and would give its votes to the deal. 

“We will vote for the commitments made to our allies,” said the statement, calling on MPs to behave “responsibly” and not choose their party’s interests over those of the country.

“Those who want to have their cake and eat it too are not helping right now,” the statement said.

Under the bailout agreement, Greece will receive loans over three years to the value of €85 billion ($95 billion), on the condition that the government enact a series of economic reforms which cut spending and raise taxes.