- Title: GREECE: Lawmakers react to confidence vote
- Date: 6th November 2011
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (NOVEMBER 5, 2011) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SCENES) EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOUKA KATSELI, A FORMER LABOUR MINISTER, ADMITTED BACK TO PARLIAMENTARY GROUP AFTER BEING EXPELLED LAST MONTH OVER HER VOTE AGAINST PART OF AUSTERITY BILL, SAYING: "This was an important vote in parliament and today we reconfirmed our wish to remain in the euro, to deliver what we have promised, to implement all the things we agreed upon, and as soon as this is completed, with the new governmental scheme to be able to call general elections so that we can have a government which can deliver an overall programme that will guarantee growth, jobs and fiscal consolidation." KATSELI WALKING TO CAR CARS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF THE MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY, EVANGELOS ANDONAROS, SAYING: "Mr Papandreou may have won the vote of confidence tonight in parliament but what he did once more is using one of his usual tricks: he is trying to stick to power at any cost without taking the consideration, the interest of the party. He may pretending that he is willing to share power with other parties but actually the only thing he is interested about is to keep his own power at any cost. There can be no discussion with a socialist party before Mr Papandreou has resigned his post as Prime Minister." EXTERIOR PARLIAMENT JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENVIRONMENT MINISTER AND FORMER FINANCE MINISTER, GEORGE PAPACONSTANTINOU, SAYING: "The government today won a very difficult confidence vote. The prime minister spoke from his heart to every Greek citizen and asking the other political parties to join in what is a very difficult exercise, very difficult for him, to change things in the country. We hope that tomorrow, starting with his visit to the President of the Republic, notwithstanding tonight's announcement by other political parties, we will manage to have a broader coalition government that will close the deal with the partners, the EU, the IMF and the ECB and be able to help Greece move along and handle its serious economic crisis." VARIOUS OF MEDIA OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CULTURE MINISTER, PAVLOS GEROULANOS, SAYING: "I find the position of Mr Samaras quite ironic. On the one hand he says he has a problem with the policy not with the people but he is voting for the policy that Mr Papandreou supports but not for him as a prime minister. I think that he needs to get his story right JUSTICE MINISTER MILTIADIS PAPAIOANNOU WALKING DOWN STEPS
- Embargoed: 21st November 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece, Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA1OFIUDHV9BI42156N91L65BE2
- Story Text: A majority of Greek deputies voted in favour of Prime Minister George Papandreou in a vote of confidence late on Friday night (November 4), early Saturday morning (November 5) avoiding snap elections which would have torpedoed Greece's bailout deal and inflamed the euro zone's economic crisis.
The deputies said they were reassured knowing that the government would work towards building a coalition of parties and that the EU bailout was saved.
Some though still called for early elections.
Louka Katseli, a former labour minister, who was expelled from the socialist PASOK parliamentary group after refusing to support a part of the government's austerity bill, said she had voted in support of the prime minister.
She was admitted back to the group after her favourable vote which now widens Papandreou's dwindling majority by one seat.
"This was an important vote in parliament and today we reconfirmed our wish to remain in the euro, to deliver what we have promised, to implement all the things we agreed upon, and as soon as this is completed, with the new governmental scheme to be able to call general elections so that we can have a government which can deliver an overall programme that will guarantee growth, jobs and fiscal consolidation," she told journalists outside parliament.
Speaking for the opposition party, Evangelos Andonaros said he wanted elections now, rather than go through what he described as a political manipulation to hold onto power.
"Mr Papandreou may have won the vote of confidence tonight in parliament but what he did once more is using one of his usual tricks: he is trying to stick to power at any cost without taking the consideration, the interest of the party. He may pretending that he is willing to share power with other parties but actually the only thing he is interested about is to keep his own power at any cost," he said.
"There can be no discussion with a socialist party before Mr Papandreou has resigned his post as Prime Minister," Andonaros added.
The former finance minister, George Papaconstantinou, now holding the post of environment minister, rejected Andonaros' accusation saying Papandreou had spoken from the heart when addressing a nation that was reeling under tough austerity measure.
"The prime minister spoke from his heart to every Greek citizen and asking the other political parties to join in what is a very difficult exercise, very difficult for him, to change things in the country. We hope that tomorrow, starting with his visit to the President of the Republic, notwithstanding tonight's announcement by other political parties, we will manage to have a broader coalition government that will close the deal with the partners, the EU, the IMF and the ECB and be able to help Greece move along and handle its serious economic crisis," he said.
But the nation remains in political, social and economic turmoil after Papandreou signalled he would still stand down, calling for a new coalition to ram the 130 billion euro bailout deal through parliament and avoid the nation going bankrupt.
Papandreou said the new coalition government should secure the approval of the euro zone bailout deal, the nation's last financial lifeline, which is also the euro zone's central plank to prevent economic crisis devastating the bloc's bigger economies. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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