The bailout vote exposed big rifts in Syriza and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras mayy need either to form a new coalition government or hold snap elections.
The new austerity-for-credit measures package demanded by Greece's creditors was adopted with 229 votes in the 300-seat chamber but dozens of Syriza party lawmakers refused to back the legislation.
The Syriza government had come to power in January on pledges of putting a stop to five years of austerity and the new bailout deal which imposes further budget consolidation policies clearly goes against their pre-election pledges.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had to count on opposition parties in order to pass the measures, leaving his coalition in question.
As Bloomberg reports: “Opposition leaders said Tsipras could rely on their votes for the second round of measures that creditors want approved by next week to begin bailout negotiations. But their support thereafter can’t be taken for granted, New Democracy lawmaker Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during the debate.”
Government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis acknowledged the vote laid bare a split in Syriza, but he said the government's priority was to secure the bailout, suggesting that there would be no immediate move towards new elections.
Tsipras is expected to reshuffle his cabinet after the vote, replacing hardliners such as Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, Deputy Labor Minister Dimitris Stratoulis, Deputy Defence Minister Kostas Ysihos and possibly Deputy Minister of Mercantile Marine Theodore Dritsas who opposes the selling the state's 67% stake in the Piraeus Port Authority.
The uncompromising speaker of parliament, Zoe Konstantopoulou, has been also ‘targeted’; she can only be replaced through a no confidence vote.