This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/world/europe/alexis-tsipras-greek-debt-deadline.html

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Alexis Tsipras and His Syriza Party Clash as Greece Faces Another Deadline Greek Leaders Approve Second Set of Changes Sought by Creditors
(about 1 hour later)
ATHENS — As another deadline for approving a package of creditor-mandated measures approached late on Wednesday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and rebellious members of his leftist Syriza party have begun taking shots at one another in public. ATHENS — Under threat of yet another deadline, the Greek Parliament approved a second package of policy changes early Thursday that the country’s creditors had said must be in place before the detailed negotiations for an $86 billion bailout could begin.
Parliament must approve a package of financial and judicial changes to keep negotiations on track for the bailout of 86 billion euros, or about $94 billion. The new measures, overhauling the banking and judicial systems, passed easily with significant support from opposition parties eager to do whatever it takes to keep Greece from leaving the eurozone. The vote was 230 to 63, with five abstentions and two absences.
It has been clear since the first vote on the measures last week that a significant faction of Mr. Tsipras’s party is frustrated with his leadership on the debt crisis, with about a quarter of his party voting against the first package of measures in Parliament last week. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was able to win over only two additional members of his leftist Syriza party, compared with the first major vote last week on the bailout accord. Most of the party’s hard-liners continued to rail against what they said was the creditors’ “blackmail” and voted no, making it likely that new elections would be held in the fall.
The disagreement had largely played out behind closed doors and without rancor as Mr. Tsipras tried to persuade his dissenting party members, most of whom belong to the hard-line faction known as the Left Platform, to support him. Mr. Tsipras spoke just before the vote, telling members of Parliament that the final terms of the deal with creditors were still under negotiation and that more would be done to protect the poorest members of Greek society. “We’re not done here,” he said, adding: “We are fighting to improve the final text of the deal. We will fight for countermeasures and for funds for society.”
On Tuesday night, however, Mr. Tsipras, perhaps recognizing that he was making little headway, seemed to take the first shot, as those close to him let it be known that he had said that the hard-liners were “hiding behind the safety of his signature.” The rift within Mr. Tsipras’s party has grown heated in recent days, with both sides taking shots at each other and the government’s spokesman saying that a “divorce” might be inevitable. The vote showed that Mr. Tsipras had gained support from one of his most vocal critics lately, his former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, who stepped down this month in an apparent gesture to European creditors who had found him difficult to deal with.
On Wednesday morning, the hard-liners shot back. A lengthy critique of Mr. Tsipras’s performance was posted on Iskra.gr, considered the voice of the Left Platform, taking Mr. Tsipras to task for a number of issues, including the absence of a contingency plan when he negotiated with creditors. Mr. Varoufakis, who voted no last week, voted yes this time. But 36 Syriza members remained opposed, deeply frustrated with Mr. Tsipras’s decision to bow to the creditors, in the face of closed banks and an economy on the verge of collapse.
In Brussels, Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner for economy, said at a daily news conference that formal talks with Athens on granting a third bailout had begun, and that they could be completed during the second half of August. In Brussels, Pierre Moscovici, the European commissioner for economy, said at a daily news conference that he was pleased with the progress in Greece, that formal talks with Athens on granting a third bailout had begun, and that they could be completed during the second half of August.
Asked about a decision by Athens to postpone legislation overhauling pensions and taxes on farmers, Mr. Moscovici suggested that those laws could wait. He said that passage by the Greek Parliament of other changes would represent good progress and would be sufficient to keep the bailout talks on track. Asked about a decision by Athens to postpone legislation overhauling pensions and tax issues affecting farmers, Mr. Moscovici suggested that those laws could wait.
The measures before Parliament on Wednesday would streamline court procedures, which are notoriously slow here, and save billions of euros. The legislature is also being asked to adopt some European banking regulations that would, among other things, guarantee depositors’ savings up to €100,000. He said that passage by the Greek Parliament of other changes would be sufficient to keep bailout talks on track.
The measures that were approved last week called for higher taxes and cuts in pensions, and many of those who voted against them, including Mr. Tsipras’ former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, have said they would vote no again. The measures approved early Thursday will streamline court procedures, which are notoriously slow here, and save billions in euros.
But until recently, the tone of the argument was gentle. Many dissenters argued that they still supported Mr. Tsipras, despite their opposition to some of the bailout terms, and that they wanted to stay in government. They will also adopt some new European Union banking regulations that aim to shield taxpayers from having to bail out troubled lenders and were supposed to have been passed months ago.
But officials close to Mr. Tsipras said he considered such an arrangement unworkable and would be willing to call new elections to remove the rebels from office. The new regulations impose losses on shareholders and depositors of ailing banks before any taxpayer money can be tapped to rescue a lender.
On a morning radio news show, the new government spokeswoman, Olga Gerovasili, said it was possible that a split in the Syriza party might be unavoidable. The measures that were approved last week called for higher taxes and cuts in pensions.
She did hold out hope, however, that Mr. Tsipras had made progress with at least some party members. “In this vote, things are better,” she said. “It’s not impossible that support for the government will be larger.” Until the last few days, the disagreement between Mr. Tsipras and the hard-line faction of his party, the Left Platform, largely played out behind closed doors and without rancor. On Tuesday night, however, Mr. Tsipras, perhaps recognizing that he was making little headway in convincing the Left Platform to stand by him, let it be known that he believed the hard-liners were conveniently “hiding behind the safety of his signature.”
The blog post criticizing Mr. Tsipras questioned why he did not nationalize banks and why he kept paying Greece’s debts even as the country’s creditors were not disbursing funds, leaving it effectively broke in June before crucial negotiations. They responded with a lengthy critique of Mr. Tsipras’s performance posted on Iskra.gr, the blog considered the voice of the Left Platform. On a morning radio news show, the new government spokeswoman, Olga Gerovasili, said it was possible that a split in the Syriza party might be unavoidable.
“When did the prime minister really realize there is no alternative?” the blog post said. “If he knew from the start, why did he not sign a much lighter deal in February?” Although there was never much question that the bills would be approved, that did not stop legislators from taking the floor to blame one another for the country’s dire economic straits. Some members of Syriza objected to being given 1,000 pages of legislation to review in only two days.
Although the bills are likely to be approved easily with votes from nearly all the parties in Parliament, that did not stop legislators from blaming one another for the dire economic straits. Zoi Konstantopoulou, Syriza’s outspoken speaker of the Parliament, who voted against the measures, said it was impossible for the members to really know what was in the documents. She said they would take an average person 32 hours to read.
As the debate over the bill began, opposition members blamed the government for a failed negotiation, and members of Syriza fought back. “Not all of us are the same,” said one member, Socrates Famelos. “We have departed from our principles to save Greece, that you destroyed.” “Maybe we should issue a stamp that says ‘Parliament of Greece’ and give it” to our creditors, Ms. Konstantopoulou said, so they can “ratify whatever they want.”