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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Athens parliament: where do MPs stand over the Greek bailout deal?

The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, must rely on the support of other parties outside his coalition, but what is the balance of opinion over the deal?Alexis Tsipras faces a critical test of his leadership on Wednesday when the Greek prime minister seeks approval from the national parliament in Athens for tough reform measures demanded by Greece’s creditors. MPs will be asked to back an overhaul of the VAT system, an increase in the retirement age and other changes, despite the rejection of similar demands in a Greek referendum on 6 July. Tsipras and his leftwing Syriza party lead a coalition government with the Independent Greeks party, giving him control of 162 out of 300 seats in parliament. However, discontent within Syriza, and its anti-EU Left Platform group in particular, means that Tsipras must rely on the support of the conservative and centrist party opposition to have the deal approved by the house. Continue reading...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com