Greek parliament backs government debt reform package

ATHENS: Greece’s parliament on Saturday approved a government package of economic reforms aimed at ending the country’s debt crisis and securing a new bailout from the European Union.

The package was backed by 151 lawmakers, out of 300 deputies, according to an AFP tally, giving Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a mandate to continue last-ditch talks with the country’s creditors this weekend.

But around 10 deputies from Tsipras’s radical left Syriza party defected during the vote, including two who voted against the plan, which includes a pension overhaul, tax hikes and privatisations similar to those offered by creditors last month.