Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party’s deputies in Parliament will vote “present” in Thursday’s role call vote for a one-off holiday bonus announced last week by the Greek premier for some 1.6 million pensioners in the country, a decision directly blamed for freezing short-term debt relief measures by creditors for Greece.
In a bid to sully the main opposition’s expected lack of approval, Interior Minister Panos Skourletis, among the more left-wing cadres of the current government, referred to an “ideological and political kinship” between ND and German FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble, considered as the strictest of the country’s creditors.
On his part, a ND rapporteur, Marios Salmas, referred to a “trick” and wholesale “populism” by the leftist Tsipras government in abruptly announcing the 617-million-euro benefit without consulting creditors.
Parties of the lesser opposition, such as PASOK, Golden Dawn and the Communist Party are expected to vote in favor of the spending measure, while centrist Potami will abstain, whereas the Union of Centrists will reportedly vote against.
Deputies of the government’s junior coalition partner, the rightist-populist and formerly anti-bailout Independent Greeks’ (AN.EL) party, is a “sure bet” to go along with the measure.
Billed as a benefit to “low-income” pensioners, the cut-off mark is 850 euros.
