EUROZONE-GREECE/MINISTERS-LAWMAKERS REAX Greek lawmakers debate as parliament prepares to vote on bailout deal

Record ID: 149223

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/MINISTERS-LAWMAKERS REAX Greek lawmakers debate as parliament prepares to vote on bailout deal
  • Date: 22nd July 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 22, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIORS OF PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE DEFENCE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF INDEPENDENT GREEKS, PANOS KAMMENOS, WALKING TOWARDS REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) DEFENCE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF INDEPENDENT GREEKS, PANOS KAMMENOS, SAYING: "All these scenarios about taxes on farmers which are resulting in a negative climate are no
  • Embargoed: 6th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAD9QR1HRZBOERSQYJ4QH2H32QO
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greece's leftist government urged disgruntled lawmakers on Wednesday (July 22) to back reforms required for talks on a rescue deal to start, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras faced his second major test in parliament in a week.
    A first set of reforms that focused largely on tax hikes and budget discipline triggered a rebellion in his party last week and passed only thanks to votes from pro-EU opposition parties.
    The bill lawmakers will vote late on Wednesday over rules for dealing with failed banks and speeding up the justice system -- two more conditions set by the eurozone and IMF to open negotiations on a 86-billion-euro rescue loan.
    "This is a crucial vote for the country's future, for the parliament's existence, for the duty of all lawmakers to say 'Yes' or 'No'. Everyone must take responsibility in these crucial times," interior minister Nikos Voutsis said.
    Justice minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos, from the ruling Syriza party, told parliament he was against the measures but that passing them was the "lesser of two evils."
    "The alternative is to avoid the battle. Well, I don't want to avoid the battle. I have to face two evils and I have the obligation towards the Greek people to recommend the lesser of two evils. For me, to have problematic regulations in the civil legislation which I, myself, acknowledge as bad, is the lesser of the two evils. It would be worse to have pension cuts, salary cuts or to be unemployed in a non-welfare state," Paraskevopoulos said.
    The legislation is all but certain to pass, despite planned protests, after opposition parties said they would back it.
    But with divisions in Tsipras' leftist Syriza party laid bare by last week's rebellion by 39 deputies, the vote will be closely monitored.
    Lawmakers Rachel Makri and Thanassis Petrakos were among the 39 who voted no last week.
    Taking the podium on Wednesday, both of them said they their stand has not changed.
    "The sacrifices of the Greek people will be for nothing. And new measures will be constantly required. In this difficult fiscal and political situation, I refuse to put my signature down and not hide behind petty excuses, not serve the interests of loan sharks. I will only serve the Greek people and our nation," said Makri.
    "I refuse to harm the interests of the poor in order to save the country in general which is beyond saving. All serious economists say that with these policies, 'Grexit' will be inevitable and by then, our public properties would have been taken over," said Petrakos.
    The government hopes negotiations on the bailout deal can start this week and be wrapped up by August 20.
    Defence minister Panos Kammenos, leader of Independent Greeks, a nationalist anti-bailout party that is the junior coalition partner of Syriza party, said he hoped the vote on Wednesday will, in the long run, protect the country's farmers and the country's beleaguered farming production.
    "All these scenarios about taxes on farmers which are resulting in a negative climate are not true. We're not voting today, or in the immediate future, about taxes on farmers which will result in the destruction of a basic production. For this government, the primary production is a solution to the problem, a way out of our situation," said Kammenos.
    Together with his coalition partners Independent Greeks, Tsipras has 162 seats in the 300-seat parliament.
    But last week's rebellion cut his support to just 123 votes and government officials have said elections are likely in the autumn.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register