An omnibus draft bill containing dozens of “prior actions” demanded by Greece’s creditors – prescribed in two successive bailout agreements – was passed by a majority of deputies in Parliament on Monday evening, essentially guaranteeing the conclusion of the third review of the ongoing program and providing a respite for the Tsipras coalition government.
One-hundred and fifty-four MPs in the 300-member legislature voted in favor of the legislation, which cuts welfare benefits and makes the holding of strikes a more difficult prospect in the recession-battered country.
As expected, all of the deputies from the two coalition partners – leftist SYRIZA and right-wing AN.EL – voted in favor. They were joined by a MP who recently left the small Union of Centrists party and later said she was joining SYRIZA Parliament group.
