The Greek parliament approved on Saturday Greek PM Alexis Tsipras’ bailout plan to negotiate a deal with Greece’s creditors based on the political party leaders’ agreement draft. The Greek Prime Minister and Finance Chief Euclid Tsakalotos called the parliament to approve the bill and authorize the Greek negotiating team to conduct an agreement with the lenders. On the draft bailout bill, 251 members voted yes and 32 rejected it. Seven members were absent from the committee and eight members abstained from the vote, including Parliament Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou who stated that althogh the Greek PM negotiated fiercefully, the bill is a product of international blackmailing to Greece. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sent the proposal to Greece’s creditors on Thursday, in what it looks like the last chance for the debt-ridden country to receive a bailout agreement and avoid a financial collapse and possible exit from the Eurozone. On Friday the PM brought the proposal to the parliament asking its MPS to pass a law that will be approve it as a basis for a bailout deal, and authorize him, Finance Minister Tsakalotos and Greek VP Ioannis Dragasakis to sign such an agreement with the creditors. The long parliamentary session, finally approved the bill on the first hours of Saturday. Addressing lawmakers in the Greek Parliament on Friday night, Greece’s Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said the government was seeking Parliament’s authorization in order to further strengthen the country’s negotiating position, “in the spirit of the political party leaders’ agreement.” “Even though we were not obliged to do this, after the 61% in the referendum, since we had a stronger position, we want to do it in order to make it even stronger,” he said during a meeting of four parliamentary committees. A crucial Eurogroup will evaluate the proposal on Saturday in Brussels.
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