Government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili conceded that there is a clear rift within Syriza.
Gerovasili admitted the government was facing a "political problem." "Planned procedures" would be implemented to address this problem she told reporters after Greece’s parliament passed a second package of reforms demanded by the nation’s creditors early Thursday.
The number of disaffected Syriza lawmakers, who see the reforms as a betrayal of the anti-austerity platform that brought their party to power in January, shrunk slightly compared to last week's similar vote — from 38 to 36. But that is still roughly a quarter of the party's 149 lawmakers.
"The divide in the parliamentary majority is clear," Gerovasili said without giving further explanations whether rebels would be expelled.
"From this point on, the government will focus all its attention on negotiating efforts in order that the agreement is concluded," Gerovasili said. She also pledged action to tackle corruption and tax evasion, address the "humanitarian crisis" in a country where more than a quarter of the workforce is jobless and poverty has soared, and restart the recession-mauled economy.
Negotiations with creditors are now expected to start soon.