LF: Greece news live: Greek parliament passes controversial austerity bill

Title: Greece news live: Greek parliament passes controversial austerity bill
Source: UK Telegraph
URL Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ ... -as-protests-turn-violent.html
Published: Jul 15, 2015
Author: Mehreen Khan, and Barney Henderson
Post Date: 2015-07-15 19:42:02 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 267

00.13

Colin Freeman reports from Athens:

Greek MPs have voted in favour of new austerity measures that will secure a third Brussels bail-out to stave off the threat of bankruptcy.

After a tense debate that lasted into the small hours of Thursday morning, the 300 member parliament voted by a majority of 229 to 64 against on a raft of tax hikes and pension reforms. There were six abstentions and one MP was missing from the debate.

The move was part of the conditions laid down by Brussels for a third-bail out of around 85 billion euros, and will stop it being thrown out of the Eurozone.

The country's prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, had said he would step down if significant numbers of his own party, who hold 151 seats in the parliament, voted against the reforms. In the end, a total of 32 Syriza MPs did so, which was around the the figure expected, while six abstained. That means Mr Tsipras is probably unlikely to feel the need to resign.

Among those who voted against the package of reforms was Mr Tsipras's former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who likened the measures to a "Treaty of Versailles" for Greece.

00.11 Syriza divided

There are open divisions in the ruling Syriza party:

At least 5 of #Tsipras' original Jan 25th cabinet vote NO to #Greece deal...— Maria Kagkelidou (@mkagkelidou) July 15, 2015

00.05

229 MPs voted 'Yes', 64 voted 'No'.

There were six abstentions.

32 Syriza Mps voted 'No', in what is a severe blow to Mr Tsipras.

23.58

The bill has passed:

Bill passes #Greece pic.twitter.com/PEkCSa8d2W— Derek Gatopoulos (@dgatopoulos) July 15, 2015

23.45

The vote is being done individually, with each MP saying "Yes" or "No". Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister, has voted "No".

11.41

Colin Freeman reports from Athens that the vote is now underway - finally.

22.57 Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, is now speaking

We are called to take decisions based on our responsibility, which lie heavily on us. We gave a struggle and I take full responsibility and I am proud that I have fought a difficult battle for the right of the people.

I am sure that this struggle is going to bear fruit at some point.

Mr Tsipras added that he could have refused to back the conditions laid down by the EU in the recent negotiations for a third bail out package, but that would have led to default and exit from the Eurozone, which he had a "responsibility" to avoid.

"I didn't want Greek society to be in a worse position than in five years ago," he said.

22.23

SYRIZA MP Vitsas: "I won't defend the legislation but the need to vote it through Parliament" #Greece— Nick Malkoutzis (@NickMalkoutzis) July 15, 2015

22.12

Nigel Farage has joined the debate:

61% of the Greek public voted to say No. If I was one of them, I'd be absolutely furious. I completely understand the anger on the streets.— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) July 15, 2015

Greece should have never joined the Euro. She needs a major currency devaluation. Without it she'll become a third world country.— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) July 15, 2015

_{A protester bleeds as he is arrested by riot police (Reuters)}

22.05 Deadline passes

The vote deadline of midnight (10pm UK time) has been and gone, as the debate continues in parliament.

21.59 EMU brutality in Greece has destroyed the trust of Europe's Left

The EU establishment henceforth faces what it has always feared: a political war on two fronts at once, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard.

It is long been fighting an expanding coaltion of free marketeers, parliamentary "souverainistes", anti-immigrant populists on the Right.

Its has now lost its remaining emotional hold on the Left after the scorched-earth treatment of Greece over the past five months - culminating in the vindictive decision to impose yet harsher terms on this crushed nation just days after its cri de coeur in a landslide referendum.

21.55

Eurogroup ministers will hold a teleconference at 09.00 BST on Thursday morning to discuss the outcome of the vote.

21.29 'Worst bail-out'

Ioannis Lagos, from the Far-Right Golden Dawn party:

This is the third and worst bail-out so far, and there is no proper reaction to it, despite it devastating the Greek people. Politicians here in this room are saying it is all for the good of the Greek people, but how is it doing that? Did we not say 'No' in the referendum two weeks ago? Instead we have got worse measures rather than better ones.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a senior MP in the centre-right New Democracy party

With every day that passes, the cost is increasing. Business are closing down, tourists are cancelling their holidays. But (addressing his remarks to Syriza) don't expect us to congratulate for ending a mess that you yourselves created. Remember also that the danger of Grexit has not yet passed. We are in danger of getting into a vicious cycle of failed bail-out programmes. Somebody has to own these reforms, take responsibility for them, otherwise they will never work. The prime minister needs to explain to the Greek people what he wants to do, not what he doesn't want to do.

21.18 Tsipras' final hours?

The expected mutiny by 30 to 50 Syriza MPs could well force the embattled Mr Tsipras from office. The Leftist prime minister has refused to head up a national unity government, and said he would consider his position if he did not gain the majority backing of his members.

“I am prime minister because I have a parliamentary group that supports me. If I do not have its support, it will be difficult to be prime minister the day after,” the Greek premier reportedly told his party members.

More than half of Syriza's central committee, not all of whom are MPs, rejected the deal, which would see Greece submit to controversial plans to privatise its assets and "de-politicise" its public administration at the behest of Brussels.

The reforms will also see VAT raised on hotels, funeral services and basic food items. Tax discounts for the country’s popular tourist islands will also be abolished.

21.04 Deadline approaching

Greek MPs have been told that they have to vote on the reforms by midnight (10pm UK time). Which means that there is not that much time left tonight for speeches (somewhat to the relief of the asembled hacks here in the press room), Colin Freeman reports.

Here's a selection of what the MPs said:

Dimitrios Mardas, Syriza MP and deputy finance minister:

Either we have to look obsessively at the trees or we see the wider forest. A lot of countries have started off from far worse places than we are. Can we manage this agreement? Of course we can.

Stavros Theodorakis, leader of the moderate left-wing To Potami Party, has hit out at the so-called "drachma conspirators" - hard-Left members of Syriza who want to vote against the reforms in order to speed Greece's exit from the Euro:

There are people who have been planning a coup to bring back the dracha, and they have hidden behind Mr Tsipras. Now they are saying that they are not going to support Mr Tsipras, yet they still want to cling to the reins of power.

20.43 Violence flares outside parliament

Outside the parliament, troubled flared briefly as groups of anarchists who were part of an anti-austerity protest threw petrol bombs at police, who barricaded the street leading to the entrance to parliament with several riot vans, Colin Freeman reports from Athens.

A masked protester who gave his name only as "Georgios" told The Telegraph: "We threw some water bombs at the police just to liven things up a bit, then they started trying to destroy us so we threw some petrol bombs in self-defence.

"We are here to protest the fact that this Syriza government is just a continuation of the old right-wing government. We need a completely new system altogether, with our own drachma currency that can allow us to start all over again.

"Our Greek leaders have spent five years fighting austerity measures and in the end, despite a 'No' vote in the referendum, they have just rolled over and said 'Yes'."

Maria Kolozi, 59, a teacher, added: "We are here to protest at the Syriza government who has led us into yet more painful agreements on austerity. It's time now to have a break from austerity and the Eurozone.

"The EU is just a Mafia, and now its game of capitalism has gone wild on us. We would rather starve than remain as we are."

_{An anti-austerity protester throws a bottle at riot police in Athens (AP)}

20.27 Debate well underway

Tsakalotos (who looks like he's been under a steam roller) starts debate with Zhou Enlai quote. It's going to be one of those nights #Greece— Nick Malkoutzis (@NickMalkoutzis) July 15, 2015

So let me get this straight: we will have the OPPOSITION defending the proposal brought by the GOVERNMENT, which will be ATTACKING it. Cool.— The Greek Analyst (@GreekAnalyst) July 15, 2015

20.15 Tsipras calls president

Alexis Tsipras called the country's president ahead of the parliamentary vote, Mega TV said, without providing details of their conversation.

An official from President Prokopis Pavlopoulos's office said he could not confirm whether the call took place.

Tsipras told parliamentarians in his leftwing Syriza party earlier on Wednesday that it would be difficult for him to remain in office if he did not have their support in the vote, a government official said.

A group of 30 to 40 dissenters in Tsipras's party are expected to vote against the legislation.

19.33 Violent protestors gather outside Greek parliament

#Syntagma #Greece tonight: deja vu - air thick with tear gas; molotov cocktails burning around the square; riot police everywhere— Helena Smith (@HelenaSmithGDN) July 15, 2015

But has quickly descended. Tear gas, molotovs - scenes from the past #Tsipras hoped would never mark his premiership pic.twitter.com/h79zLqVS1d— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) July 15, 2015

pic.twitter.com/zpxv6pn8RK— katya adler (@BBCkatyaadler) July 15, 2015

18.32 Will the vote go ahead?

Some confusion in Athens over whether parliamentarians will manage to vote on this deal tonight

@SpiegelPeter solved. It starts in a few minutes. MPs expected to vote by midnight— George Terzis (@geoterzis) July 15, 2015

17.32 French parliament backs Greek bail-out deal

We're still waiting for Athens' verdict, but the French parliament has given its unanimous backing to a third rescue programme for Greece.

The lower house National Assembly backed the agreement by 412 votes to 69. Ardent Greek supporter and Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the bail-out deal it was the only route out of the crisis.

"We are demanding a lot of the Greeks, not just to punish it, but to accompany it through a vital economic recovery", said the PM.

17.19 Tsipras position under threat

Click for Full Text!

Can Tsipras still last?

00.13

00.11

Syriza divided

00.05

23.58

23.45

11.41

22.57

Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister, is now speaking

22.23

22.12

22.05

Deadline passes

21.59

EMU brutality in Greece has destroyed the trust of Europe's Left

21.55

21.29

'Worst bail-out'

21.18

Tsipras' final hours?

21.04

Deadline approaching

20.43

Violence flares outside parliament

20.27

Debate well underway

20.15

Tsipras calls president

19.33

Violent protestors gather outside Greek parliament

18.32

Will the vote go ahead?

17.32

French parliament backs Greek bail-out deal

17.19

Tsipras position under threat