Syriza MPs rebel against Euro-deal

Submitted by martin on 26 February, 2015 - 6:04 Author: From Stathis Kouvelakis and Vasiliki Siouti

Journalist Vasiliki Siouti reports on the rebellions; and left Syriza central committee member Stathis Kouvelakis has posted on Facebook as below. Click here for how the Syriza government leaders present the deal (interview with Yanis Varoufakis) and click here for a very rough (Google) translation of the statement by the "Red Network" of revolutionary socialists within Syriza, around DEA.

Stathis Kouvelakis: Important news: one third on Syriza's parliamentary group rejecting the agreement in internal vote!

Yesterday a crucial meeting of Syriza's group of MPs took place. Initially scheduled to last three hours it finally lasted more than twelve! Alexis Tsipras introduced it and about 80 MPs spoke. A clear majority of speakers expressed criticisms of various forms and intensities about the agreement and the strategy followed by the government .

Although it was unclear whether a vote should take place, Tsipras finally asked one to be held at the end of the meeting, with indicative value. About 30 MPs (out of the 149) were out of the room at that moment. There was no formal counting of the vote (which took place by raising hands) but around 40 MPs abstained or voted against. The four ministers of the Left Platform abstained by the ranks of those rejecting the agreement went far beyond Leftplatform supporters.

As a result the government will almost certainly not bring the agreement to Parliament. To do so would amount to taking the risk of seeing either the government falling, or, most likely, standing thanks to the support of To Potami, PASOK and part of New Democracy MPs. The two first parties have issued statements supporting the agreement.

And the debate has just started!

PS. John Milios, head of the Economic Policy department of Syriza and a supporter of the majority bloc until recently, published today a devastating critique of the agreement and of the government's strategy in a text co-signed with two close collaborators, Spyros Lapatsioras and Dimitris Sotiropoulos (in Greek).

See also this reply by Stathis Kouvelakis to those on the left who have endorsed the euro-deal.

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