Greek ruling party heading for split as bailout vote looms
Greece Parliament building - Photo A.Savin
(ATHENS) - Greece's ruling Syriza party was heading for a bitter split Thursday, with senior figures trading attacks as parliament prepared to approve the country's third international bailout.
Parliament chief Zoe Constantopoulou criticised Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, Syriza's youth wing said Greece should leave the eurozone altogether, and the party's top eurosceptic Panagiotis Lafazanis called for a nationwide anti-austerity movement, drawing a rebuke from the government.
Lafazanis "has announced the early model of a new political group" aiming to take the country back to the drachma, an unofficial government note said.
"This finalises his decision... to take a different road from the government and Syriza," the note said.
Embattled Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras could call for early elections if fewer than 120 government lawmakers approve the bailout in a vote slated for early Friday morning.
In two prior votes on bailout reforms, over 30 of Syriza's 149 lawmakers refused to approve the latest tax hikes, pension cuts and market reforms.
"If we have fewer than 120 lawmakers it's logical that the government cannot stand," Minister of State Alekos Flambouraris told Skai TV.
The coalition government is also supported by the small nationalist Independent Greeks party which has 13 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament.
Greece hopes that by quickly adopting the 85-billion-euro ($94.8-billion) rescue plan negotiated with the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, it can unlock a first tranche of aid before a 3.4-billion-euro debt repayment to the ECB falls due on August 20.
But Syriza hardliners say the proposed accord goes against campaign pledges made by Tsipras, who came to power on an anti-austerity ticket in January.
Syriza's tough parliament chief Constantopoulou clashed earlier with the finance minister over the emergency procedure demanded by the government to speedily adopt the bailout.
"Do you want to hand the parliament seal to (German chancellor) Wolfgang Schaeuble, (Eurogroup chief Jeroen) Dijsselbloem and (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel?" Constantopoulou said.