Greek parliament approves bailout prior measures package

The package of measures, which had to be approved to open talks on a new multibillion euro bailout, was passed with 229 votes and 64 against in the 300-seat chamber.

It followed a stormy debate in which dozens of lawmakers from the left of the ruling Syriza party rebelled against Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

The Greek Parliament approved early on Thursday a bill of reforms, which Athens has to implement in order to be granted a new bailout by global creditors.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras battled to win lawmakers’ approval for a bailout deal to keep Greece in the eurozone, while the country’s creditors pressed by the worldwide Monetary Fund to provide massive debt relief struggled to agree to a financial lifeline.

The revelations put greater strain on Tsipras, who has been forced to turn to pro-European opposition parties to get the reform measures through parliament after a rebellion by 30 MPs in his own party.

The majority of Greeks voted against similar austerity terms in a referendum on July 5.

The parliament vote is only the first step before bailout money can flow again.

Greek bank lines are potentially going to be a memory after Greece’s parliamentary vote on Wednesday night.

Tsipras has admitted that until the final bailout agreement is signed he “cannot say with certainty” that it will be enough to prevent a so-called “Grexit”. The rally turned violent and several hundred youths attacked police, torched cars, and smashed office displays.

Riot police used tear gas to push back dozens of hooded protesters and secure the area in front of the parliament building on Wednesday after the demonstrators’ Molotov cocktails set ablaze parts of Syntagma square in central Athens.

But he said the country had no other choice if it wanted to stay in the euro.

Tsipras is calling the new austerity measures “irrational”, and he acknowledged they are at odds with his election pledge just months ago calling for an end to austerity in Greece. Finland’s parliament agreed to the deal Thursday.

The European Commission has proposed giving Greece 7 billion euros in loans from a special fund overseen by all 28 EU nations so it can meet its upcoming debts.

On Monday, Greece must repay $4.6 billion to the European Central Bank.