GERMANY: Bundestag lower house of parliament approves a motion to strengthen the euro zone rescue fund via leveraging with a clear majority
Record ID:
327608
GERMANY: Bundestag lower house of parliament approves a motion to strengthen the euro zone rescue fund via leveraging with a clear majority
- Title: GERMANY: Bundestag lower house of parliament approves a motion to strengthen the euro zone rescue fund via leveraging with a clear majority
- Date: 27th October 2011
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (OCTOBER 26, 2011) (REUTERS) MERKEL WALKING OFF EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT VARIOUS OF MERKEL LEAVING PARLIAMENT AND GETTING INTO CAR, HER CONVOY DRIVING OFF
- Embargoed: 11th November 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: International Relations,Economy,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA887F8V2GDKF9ELD9WTSEPW4VA
- Story Text: German Chancellor Angel Merkel won a parliamentary vote with a large majority on Wednesday (October 26) on boosting the firepower of the euro zone rescue fund, handing her a strong mandate to negotiate at a crunch EU summit later in the day in Brussels.
The vice president of the Bundestag lower house of parliament said 503 lawmakers had voted in favour of the motion, 89 had voted against and there were four abstentions.
The parliamentary vote binds Merkel to sticking closely to the text of the motion passed by the Bundestag in her negotiations in Brussels, thus strengthening her bargaining power.
EU leaders will meet to try to agree a range of measures to tackle the spiralling euro zone debt crisis but the prospects of a comprehensive deal looked dim, with disagreements remaining in several crucial areas.
Supported by the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens, Merkel won the vote easily but it was unclear initially whether she had to rely on the opposition to get the vote through.
Several rebels from within her own centre-right coalition had said they would vote against the motion, highlighting the struggle Merkel faces in convincing Germans of the need for Europe's biggest economy to help its indebted partners.
Merkel is battling sliding ratings for herself and her centre-right coalition over her handling of the euro zone crisis. Critics at home and abroad have accused her of taking a dithering approach that has exacerbated the debt crisis, and frustration is rife. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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