Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ATHENS478
2008-03-31 14:55:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Athens
Cable title:
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION FAILS IN GREEK PARLIAMENT
how-toVZCZCXYZ0005 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHTH #0478 0911455 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 311455Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1569 INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS ATHENS 000478
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB ECON SOCI GR
SUBJECT: NO CONFIDENCE MOTION FAILS IN GREEK PARLIAMENT
REF A: ATHENS 452
REF B: ATHENS 400
SUMMARY
-------
UNCLAS ATHENS 000478
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB ECON SOCI GR
SUBJECT: NO CONFIDENCE MOTION FAILS IN GREEK PARLIAMENT
REF A: ATHENS 452
REF B: ATHENS 400
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (U) On March 28, a censure motion - essentially a call for a vote
of no confidence - raised by the main opposition PASOK party, failed
by a vote of 152 to 138. The three-day debate preceding the vote
provided Greek parliamentarians an opportunity to excoriate the
government for its handling of efforts at pension reform, as well as
the "Macedonia name issue" and other hot-button topics. End
summary.
2. (U) After an often vociferous three-day debate, Greek PM Kostas
Karamanlis emerged unscathed on March 28 from acensure motion tabled
by the main opposition PASOK (Ref A). With ten abstentions (by
right-wing LAOS party MPs) in the 300-seat parliament, the
government overcame the no-confidence motion 152-138 originally
raised by main opposition PASOK on March 26. The ballot was the
culmination of weeks of intense verbal sparring between the
government and opposition over a controversial pension reform bill
that caused mass protests and strikes in the public sector (Ref B).
3. (U) PASOK leader George Papandreou brought the censure motion
against the PM accusing him and the government of harming the
interests of millions of workers and "destroying" Greece's highly
fragmented and nearly bankrupt pension system. The pension reform
bill is expected to pass a final procedural vote on March 31, after
three parliamentary ballots on separate groups of its individual
articles.
4. (U) Debate on the censure motion presented an opportunity for
opposition politicians to raise a host of hot-button issues,
including the so-called "Macedonia name issue." Both PM Karamanlis
and FM Dora Bakoyannis delivered sharp remarks reiterating Greece's
determination to veto Macedonia's NATO bid if a satisfactory
solution to the name problem was not reached before the Bucharest
NATO summit. Papandreou did not miss the opportunity to indict the
government for "losing control" of the diplomatic negotiations about
the name, but agreed with the front bench that, save a last-minute
resolution of the issue, Greece had to stop "FYROM" from joining
NATO.
SPECKHARD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB ECON SOCI GR
SUBJECT: NO CONFIDENCE MOTION FAILS IN GREEK PARLIAMENT
REF A: ATHENS 452
REF B: ATHENS 400
SUMMARY
--------------
1. (U) On March 28, a censure motion - essentially a call for a vote
of no confidence - raised by the main opposition PASOK party, failed
by a vote of 152 to 138. The three-day debate preceding the vote
provided Greek parliamentarians an opportunity to excoriate the
government for its handling of efforts at pension reform, as well as
the "Macedonia name issue" and other hot-button topics. End
summary.
2. (U) After an often vociferous three-day debate, Greek PM Kostas
Karamanlis emerged unscathed on March 28 from acensure motion tabled
by the main opposition PASOK (Ref A). With ten abstentions (by
right-wing LAOS party MPs) in the 300-seat parliament, the
government overcame the no-confidence motion 152-138 originally
raised by main opposition PASOK on March 26. The ballot was the
culmination of weeks of intense verbal sparring between the
government and opposition over a controversial pension reform bill
that caused mass protests and strikes in the public sector (Ref B).
3. (U) PASOK leader George Papandreou brought the censure motion
against the PM accusing him and the government of harming the
interests of millions of workers and "destroying" Greece's highly
fragmented and nearly bankrupt pension system. The pension reform
bill is expected to pass a final procedural vote on March 31, after
three parliamentary ballots on separate groups of its individual
articles.
4. (U) Debate on the censure motion presented an opportunity for
opposition politicians to raise a host of hot-button issues,
including the so-called "Macedonia name issue." Both PM Karamanlis
and FM Dora Bakoyannis delivered sharp remarks reiterating Greece's
determination to veto Macedonia's NATO bid if a satisfactory
solution to the name problem was not reached before the Bucharest
NATO summit. Papandreou did not miss the opportunity to indict the
government for "losing control" of the diplomatic negotiations about
the name, but agreed with the front bench that, save a last-minute
resolution of the issue, Greece had to stop "FYROM" from joining
NATO.
SPECKHARD