Satisfaction with the majority of the 165 "yes to all"

The government welcomed the result of the late-night vote on the 2013 budget with mixed feelings of satisfaction and concern. It is satisfied with the fact that the 165 "yes to all" to budget allocations by MPs from ND, PASOK and DIMAR, reveal a much wider majority than the 153 positive votes the multi-bill with the painful measures of the Troika agreement elicited last Wednesday.

 

Meanwhile, there is concern about the tense climate during the four-day parliamentary debate, and also the total of 14 casualties in the three parties before five months had elapsed from the establishment of the tripartite coalition since when the current government was formed after the elections of June, it received a confidence vote of 179 MPs.

 

Given that the budget vote serves as a vote of confidence to the government, there is no question of dispute for the tripartite coalition, since the government still has a comfortable majority.

 

The rapid weakening of the parliamentary power of parties that compose it, with the diversification of Lefkada ND MP Theodoros Soldatos and Mimis Androulakis of PASOK, who chose to vote "present" (the first one for some of the funds, the second for all), and the absence of Yannis Panousis of DIMAR, raise questions about the time frame of the current formation.

 

Fotis Kouvelis’ statement that his party is voting in favor of the budget and will support its implementation, is recorded on the positive side of the four-day debate in the parliament, as the presence of DIMAR in government is crucial since after the recent expulsions, the total of MPs shared by ND (125) and PASOK (26) is limited to 151.

 

The aversion of the speech of the Prime Minister that "the revolution that Greece needs is these three parties" is indicative of the importance he attaches to the continuation of the coalition and his will to proceed with a "unity" that, as Samaras said, "is the supreme virtue in this time of need."

 

The government says it was not surprised by the outcome of the vote, describes it as expected and attaches to it the intensity of the long consultation to reach an agreement on the measures, but also the negative impressions created by declarations made by European officials in the last days - mainly by German Finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble- on the delay in the disbursement of the tranche.

 

He argues, however, that despite the new "leaks", the government’s stability is not threatened, since with the disbursement of the tranche in the near future there will be stabilization of the economy followed by recovery, a fact that will have a positive impact on a social and political level.