Greek parliament okays 2013 budget

(Vatican Radio) There were no surprises at midnight last night as the Greek Parliament endorsed the 2013 austerity budget by a majority of 167.

The vote was not as close at as that of five days ago, when a bare majority of three deputies in the 300-seat chamber ensured the passage of a highly controversial package of austerity and bailout measures.

Yet last night’s debate was quite as acrimonious, as Greece’s opposition parties accused the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of hoodwinking the people last week. Samaras vows that the present spate of crippling austerity measures will be the last, before recovery kicks in. But the opposition, left and right, openly disputes that, claiming that continued austerity will ruin the country.

That is the issue that is now dividing the Greeks. Does the euro represent hope or despair? Critics of the government say Samaras is cultivating false hopes. He promised that once last week’s controversial package was voted into effect, Greece would more or less automatically qualify for a 31.5 billion euro bailout this month. But statements from European leaders indicate that it will not be as simple as all that.

In the eyes of Greece’s creditors, Samaras heads a fragile and fractious, and increasingly unpopular government. Strikes cripple Athens and the main cities almost daily. Another demonstration blocked central Athens last night. Few in Europe believe that Samaras or anyone else has the clout to enforce long-overdue economic reforms. Unemployment is rocketing up, and tax revenues are plummeting. Large-scale foreign investment remains an impossible dream. The 2013 budget may have passed last night, but it’s not going to make Greece’s economic woes any lighter.

Listen to the full report by regional correspondent John Carr: