Greek government wins confidence vote before first bailout review
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Greece, Oct 08 (ANI): Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government comfortably won a confidence vote on Thursday, starting a race to pass key reform laws before Athens undergoes a crucial first review of its international bailout. Greece has promised to implement the third bailout programme agreed with European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders in August in exchange for 86 billion euros. It wants the first review to be wrapped up soon so it can start talks on a debt relief before the end of the year. Tsipras, who was re-elected on Sept. 20, won the backing of all 155 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament who support his radical left-right coalition. The first set of 48 reforms needs to be turned into law by October 15. Opposition lawmakers heaped scorn on his goals. Tsipras needs the debt restructuring to convince Greeks after seven years of economic hardship that he achieved something in return for performing a spectacular U-turn and accepting austerity conditions he had rejected in June.
