ATHENS — Parliament backed the government’s reform plan containing austerity measures to win a third bailout early Saturday, but with the government suffering significant losses from dissenting lawmakers.
The motion, which sought to authorize the government to use the proposal as a basis for negotiation with international creditors during the weekend, passed with 251 votes in favor, 32 against and eight voting “present” — a form of abstention — in the 300-member Parliament.
Those who voted “present” or were absent, as well as two of those who voted against, were members of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing Syriza party — raising questions about the stability of his government.
The dissenters included two ministers — Panagiotis Lafazanis, who holds the energy portfolio, and Dimitris Stratoulis, who holds the social security portfolio — and prominent party member and Parliament Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou.
The measures include tax hikes and cuts in pension spending, just days after 61 percent of voters opposed similar reforms, proposed by creditors. But the new proposal, if approved by Greece’s international creditors, will provide longer-term financial support for a nation that has endured six years of recession.
