Greece is one step closer to receiving additional bailout funds after the Greek parliament legislated a new set of prior actions on Thursday evening, albeit with a very fragile and newly hampered majority.
153 MPs voted in favor of the legislation, while 137 voted against and 10 abstained from the process.
While this means that the government is closer to getting two billion euros of bailout funds, the evening’s big news came after voting had concluded. SYRIZA MP Stathis Panagoulis and ANEL MP Nikos Nikolopoulos were removed from their respective parties, and thus the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, for abstaining and voting against the legislation, respectively. This leaves the Greek government with 153 MPs, just two above the required minimum.
Earlier in the day, SYRIZA MP Gavriil Sakellaridis resigned per the Greek Prime Minister’s request, after rumors circulated that he would abstain from voting on the government sponsored legislation. It should be noted that the government did not lose a parliamentary seat there as Sakellaridis resigned from his post, and has been replaced by Christoforos Vernardakis.
A few hours prior to Thursday’s vote, the government made alterations to the heatedly debated consumption taxation scheme on wine. The Finance Ministry reduced proposed taxation by half, making 15 cents per bottle instead of the initial 30 cents. The ministry also clarified that this tax concerns imported wines.
Among the legislation’s most contentious articles is the one on the protection of primary residences. According to the new agreement between creditors and the government, 25% of debtors are protected from foreclosures on their primary residency. The range is significantly lower from what the government had first asked.
This is the fifth time the Greek parliament has been called to vote on new legislation since mid-October. The previous four times included two prior action votes, the bank recapitalization legislation and the new legislation on the operations of mass media in the country.
A Euro Working Group will convene in Brussels on Friday to discuss the disbursement of the two billion euros of bailout funds as well as of the 10 billion euros that have been reserved specifically for the recapitalization.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
