ATHENS: Greece’s leftwing government expressed confidence that parliament would approve a debt deal with lenders, despite an angry reaction from some of its own lawmakers who accused it of caving in to pressure for more austerity.
Concessions offered by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, including hikes to tax and pension contributions, garnered a cautious welcome from euro zone leaders but triggered a furious reaction from some leftists in the ruling Syriza party. One lawmaker said the deal was tantamount to a “tombstone” for Greece, after repeated rounds of austerity during five years of crisis.
Deputy parliament speaker and Syriza lawmaker Alexis Mitropoulos said the concessions were “not in line with the principles of the left” and would cause “social carnage”. “I believe that this programme as we see it … is difficult to pass by us,” he told Greek Mega TV. However State Minister Nikos Pappas, one of Tsipras’ closest aides, said he was confident that the deal would get through.
