Greece’s coalition government survives late confidence vote
GREECE’S conservative-led coalition defeated, as expected, an opposition-sponsored motion to topple the government last night, but lost one lawmaker who was expelled after backing the opposition.
A total 153 out of the parliament’s 300 lawmakers rejected the opposition’s censure motion. But Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s coalition expelled one Socialist lawmaker who voted with the opposition, reducing the coalition’s majority to four.
The confidence vote was put forth by the main opposition Syriza party, which aims to overturn the austerity policies that the Greek government is implementing as a condition of its EU/IMF bailout.