Greek Government survives austerity package challenge

(Vatican Radio) The Greek government overcame divisions today to defeat an early challenge to an austerity package needed to secure vital international aid, but it still faced internal dissent and angry protests ahead of a final vote.
An acrimonious and tension-filled debate on Greece’s latest austerity and bailout measures got underway in the full Parliament here in Athens today, with a crucial vote due at midnight.
The measures are expected to pass, but with a small majority. Prime minister Antonis Samaras can count on the support of his conservative New Democracy party and most of his socialist partners to endorse the measures. They are expected to loosen the purse strings of Greece’s creditors to the tune of 31.5 billion euros to keep the country paying its bills through to the end of the year.

Voting no will be the largest opposition party, the leftwing Syriza, plus the communists, the far-right Golden Dawn and a small but vocal Independent Greeks party. No-one’s expecting any upsets, but the strength of the opposition to the measures reflects mounting public anger.

For the third day in a row, strikers paralysed public services and thronged the square in front of the Parliament building, shouting anti-austerity and anti-government slogans. Samaras himself was heckled as he was entering the Parliament building for the debate.

At the start of the session, the Syriza party demanded a roll call vote on accusations that the whole package of salary and pension cuts that’s being debated be declared unconstitutional. The demand was thrown out on procedural grounds, further inflaming passions in the chamber.

This week has seen the longest and most persistent strikes since Samaras was elected prime minister in June. He has said he intends to stay the course regardless, but his coalition partners are beginning to desert him. The result of tonight’s vote will reveal how much clout Samaras actually has to press ahead with his reforms. Listen to John Carr's report