A decision to give some 1.6 million pensioners a "holiday bonus" worth 617 million euros was easily ratified by Parliament MPs on Thursday afternoon, with 196 deputies voting in favor and 59 declaring "present".
Besides the deputies of the ruling coalition, from leftist SYRIZA and its junior coalition partner, the rightist-populist AN.EL, MPs from the PASOK-led grouping, the ultra-nationalist Golden Dawn and the Communist Party voted in favor. Main opposition New Democracy party's MPs voted "present", while two small centrist parties abstained.
Forty-six deputies were absent.
