Greek Parliament Votes in Favor of Bailout Deal

Greek Parliament, Syntagma Square. Photo © Maria Theofanopoulou

The Greek Parliament on early Thursday approved an omnibus draft bill which includes the prior actions demanded by Greece’s creditors in exchange for a multibillion euro new bailout.

The debate on the omnibus bill on “Emergency Measures for the Negotiation and Agreement with the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)” began at 9:15pm local time on Wednesday. The vote concluded in the early hours of Thursday morning.

According to the voting results, 229 lawmakers supported the bill, 64 voted against it, 6 voted “present” and one was absent.

The measures had to be approved by the Greek Parliament before European partners would agree to open talks for a new three-year bailout worth up to 86 billion euros.