Tsipras likely to call confidence vote after party revolt

A Greek minister gave on Monday the strongest indication yet that the government will call a confidence vote following a rebellion among lawmakers from the ruling Syriza party over the country’s new bailout deal.

Asked about the possibility, Skourletis said he believed such a move was necessary in order to tackle the political instability.

With Syriza’s left wing showing little sign of returning to the party fold, Skourletis also alluded to possible early elections should Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lose a confidence motion.

Tsipras had to rely on opposition groups including PASOK to win a parliamentary majority on Friday in favour of the 86 billion euro bailout programme, Greece’s third with worldwide creditors since 2010.

Syriza’s coalition government with the small nationalist Independent Greeks was premised on a pledge to repeal austerity measures tied to Greece’s two previous global bailouts.

It is important to point towards the fact that 12 members of the current government have pledged to create a new anti-bailout movement and includes the ex-Energy Minister who lost his cabinet post after he showed dissent last month by voting against the deal.

Tsipras was meeting with members of his financial team Tuesday, but the government has said any announcements on political developments will be made after Thursday, when Greece must repay a European Central Bank debt for which it needs new loans.

Tsipras now faces the unenviable task of implementing the reforms – many of which must be voted into law, a worrying prospect in a parliament where so many of his lawmakers have turned against him.

However, the government was only able to pass the agreement – by 222 MPs in favor, 64 against and with 14 abstentions – with the help of opposition votes. “The bailout cannot be the program of Syriza, it falls outside its values, these are incompatible notions”.

Elections would be held three to four weeks after being declared.

She also reportedly said there was “room to maneuver” for debt relief through lower interest rates and extended debt payment deadlines.

However, Tsipras is untainted by the corruption scandals that have touched Greece’s older parties and remains popular, although no opinion polls have been published since the capital controls were imposed at the end of June. Tsipras’s standing has raised doubts about how much the opposition parties may want to force new elections.

But he added that he saw elections as “highly likely” in the coming months.

“Such a major numeric loss of parliamentary majority is unprecedented”, said Skourletis, a former spokesman for Tsipras.