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Alexis Tsipras aims to steer eurozone bailout plan through Greek parliament Prime minister faces tough task to keep his Syriza party united... by Phillip Inman in London, Helena Smith in Athens, and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels The Guardian, England, July 13 <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/13/alexis-tsipras-eurozone-bailout-plan-greek-parliament> Alexis Tsipras was on course on Monday night to sway radical-leftist Syriza MPs to accept the most draconian rescue of a sovereign nation since the second world war, after the Greek prime minister accepted a third bailout programme that one analyst said came after a weekend of “gunboat diplomacy”. Tsipras, locked in fraught negotiations with EU leaders in Brussels until Monday morning, indicated that he would carry the Athens parliament, despite some defections, in a vote on the package by Wednesday. Determined to keep his party together ahead of an expected onslaught by MPs opposing the outlined deal, Tsipras summoned his closest allies to a meeting in Athens before a gathering of his parliamentary party on Tuesday. . . . PM Alexis Tsipras faces fierce dissent on bailout deal I Kathimerini, Athens, July 14 (Associated Press) <http://www.ekathimerini.com/199478/article/ekathimerini/news/pm-alexis-tsipras-faces-fierce-dissent-on-bailout-deal> With members of his own party openly denouncing a preliminary rescue deal struck with Greece's European creditors, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras must fight to cling to his government's majority after he was forced to shred election promises and introduce punishing austerity measures in exchange for the bailout. Tsipras, who flew home Monday from grueling night-long negotiations with European leaders, will chair an executive meeting of his SYRIZA party early Tuesday before lawmakers begin a two-day debate on the deal — set to heap more tax hikes and spending cuts on a country already suffering through six years of recession. The deal ensures that Greece avoids an imminent financial catastrophe and an exit from the Eurozone. But Panos Kammenos, leader of the junior partner in Tsipras' coalition government, called the bailout plan a German-led "coup." "This deal introduced many new issues ... we cannot agree with it," Kammenos said after meeting with Tsipras. Other Greeks rallied Monday night outside Parliament in Athens, urging lawmakers to reject the new demands. Around 30 out of SYRIZA's 149 lawmakers are likely to vote against the government. Many held private meetings late Monday. Tsipras had to consent to a raft of austerity measures, including sales tax hikes and pension and labor reforms — measures he had campaigned vociferously against over the last five years of Greece's financial crisis. "We managed to avoid the most extreme measures," Tsipras said. But in many cases, ordinary Greeks now face tougher measures than those they voted down in a nationwide referendum a little over a week ago. SYRIZAs Left Platform, a group of traditionalists in Tsipras's own party, swiftly denounced the agreement as the "worst deal possible ... (one) that maintains the country's status: a debt colony under a German-run European Union." . . . Greece’s Alexis Tsipras faces Syriza rebellion over ‘humiliation’ by Peter Spiegel and Stefan Wagstyl in Brussels and Henry Foy in Athens Financial Times, July 14 <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/159b56be-297f-11e5-8613-e7aedbb7bdb7.html> Alexis Tsipras, Greek prime minister, on Tuesday will seek to shore up support within his own government after he accepted the most intrusive programme ever mounted by the EU as the price for a new €86bn bailout to keep Greece in the eurozone. Mr Tsipras looks set to be forced to rely on opposition support to pass a swath of economic reform measures by Wednesday’s EU-imposed deadline or face the country’s bankruptcy, as a growing number of far-left MPs voiced opposition to the deal. The ruling Syriza party’s extremist Left Platform called it a “humiliation of Greece”. The leader of the Independent Greeks, the rightwing coalition partner, also said that his party could not agree to the accord, calling it a “coup by Germany” and its hardline eurozone allies, the Netherlands and Finland. Marina Chrysoveloni, the Independent Greeks spokeswoman, said on state TV on Tuesday there were “limits” to the party’s support for the government “that are shaped by the mandate of the Greek people, both in January’s elections and in the referendum”. . . . But the deal was only reached after a fraught 17-hour summit of eurozone leaders that pitched Mr Tsipras against Angela Merkel, German chancellor. Officials said that “Grexit” appeared imminent at about 6am on Monday, when both prepared to walk away from talks, convinced that no deal was possible. Instead, the two agreed to terms that a diplomat from one Germany-allied country described as akin to turning Greece into an economic protectorate, including a plan to place the country’s most valuable publicly owned assets into a €50bn privatisation fund supervised by EU authorities. Mr Tsipras accepted plans for a high level of domestic economic supervision by the bailout monitors, including the International Monetary Fund, and a public administration overhaul overseen by the European Commission. He must also implement a list of economic pledges, including an overhaul of the country’s value added tax system and sweeping pension reforms, by Wednesday as a condition for a possible start to formal negotiations this week on a financing package to stave off the bankruptcy of the fast-deteriorating economy. . . . Greek political leaders said the legislation was not at risk of failing because it had wide support of mainstream opposition lawmakers, who would make up any government defections in the 300-member legislature. But the insurrection called into question how long Mr Tsipras could survive as prime minister once the legislation was passed. Nikos Filis, Syriza’s parliamentary spokesman, called on any government MPs who did not back the plans to resign. With 17 government MPs failing to support a far more limited plan offered by Mr Tsipras last week, the prime minister seemed almost certain to lose his parliamentary majority, which currently stands at 12. Some analysts believe that the number of rebels could swell to as many as 30. Already, 15 far-left Syriza MPs who voted for Mr Tsipras’s plan last week have said they would not make similar commitments in the future. Mr Tsipras could continue to lead as head of a minority government if the Syriza rebels split, but he has ruled out heading a national unity government similar to that of Lucas Papademos, the former central banker who served as technocratic prime minister during finalisation of Athens’ second bailout in 2012. Despite Mr Tsipras’ refusal to head such a national coalition, the leaders of all three mainstream opposition parties — centre-left Pasok, centre-right New Democracy and pro-EU populists To Potami — have said they will help him pass the terms of the bailout. They control 106 MPs. The prospect of a collapse of Mr Tsipras’s government was weighing on decision makers in Brussels, where finance ministers were wrestling with how to rush €7bn in bridge financing to Athens so that it does not default on a bond owed to the European Central Bank on Monday. One EU official said that with Mr Tsipras’s status so unclear, ministers were likely to wait to see if he survives Wednesday’s vote before finalising any bridge financing deal. And some finance ministers, who gathered again in Brussels on Monday night to consider their options, gave warning that Mr Tsipras could face even more conditions to get the desperately needed cash. . . . SYRIZA Left Platform Likely to Reject Bailout Deal in Greek Parliament by Anastassios Adamopoulos The Greek Reporter, July 13 <http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/07/13/syriza-left-platform-likely-to-reject-bailout-deal-in-greek-parliament> Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is likely to face internal strife over his 86-billion-euro agreement with international creditors on Monday. The deal, which was struck after 17 hours of deliberations and will include more measures and reforms than the ones Greece submitted last week, will have to be ratified by the Greek government by Wednesday at the latest. The SYRIZA Left Platform, a sub group within the party, is likely to vote against the deal, vote “present” or even abstain from the whole process, according to Greek media. Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, leader of the Left Platform, will not resign from his post even though he will reportedly vote against the Prime Minister’s deal. Lafazanis had also rejected the Greek proposals sent to international creditors. The SYRIZA Parliamentary Group will meet tomorrow morning to discuss the deal. After marathon in Brussels, Tsipras faces Athens sprint I Kathimerini, Athens, July 13 <http://www.ekathimerini.com/199477/article/ekathimerini/news/after-marathon-in-brussels-tsipras-faces-athens-sprint> . . . Tsipras is thought to have prioritized getting the four reform bills through Parliament by Wednesday, as lenders have demanded, before dealing with the dissenters in his party and addressing the likely need for a reshuffle and a possible reconfiguration of the coalition. Tsipras is thought to favor continuing even as a minority government with the support of New Democracy, To Potami and PASOK rather than expanding the current administration. . . . Tsipras tackles backlash after clinching Greek deal PM Alexis Tsipras will try to ram the controversial bailout deal through parliament, as anger mounts at painful austerity measures, threatening his government. Times of Change, Greece, July 13 (Reuters) <http://www.thetoc.gr/eng/news/article/tsipras-tackles-backlash-after-clinching-greek-deal> A sleep-deprived Tsipras has until Wednesday night to quell dissent within his own ranks -- probably by sacking hardliners -- and get unpopular measures passed that include higher value added tax and pension reforms. With dozens of potential rebels in the ruling SYRIZA party, Tsipras will need the support of opposition lawmakers to pass the package, opening doubts over the stability of his government and raising the possibility that he could give way to a caretaker prime minister. There were no details on when and how the reform laws would be tabled. One obstacle could be the speaker, Zoe Konstantopoulou, who is key to the logistics of the voting and who has been one of the creditors' fiercest critics. One -- potentially risky -- move could be tabling a no confidence vote to sack her. While there was relief that the country had escaped bankruptcy and a collapse of its banking system, Greeks vented their fury at an agreement that ended up much tougher than proposals they had roundly rejected in a referendum on July 5. Before the final contours of the deal were even known, one of his ministers railed against the deal as being "unviable" and predicted there would be a snap election within months. . . . _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
