ND set to vote against new deal

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, who spoke with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, is likely to reject the government?s invitation to approve in Parliament any deal agreed in Brussels this week to tackle Greece?s debt crisis.

Sources said Venizelos informed Samaras of what was being discussed in the meetings with European Union officials and that the government is likely to ask for the agreement, set to be finalized on Wednesday, to be approved by a qualified majority in Parliament.

This means that 180 of the 300 deputies would have to vote for the deal. New Democracy has 85 lawmakers but the fact that the Communist Party and the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) would vote against the agreement, means ND?s support is likely to be needed to reach 180 votes.

However, ND sources said that Samaras is unlikely to give in, even if this means provoking a snap election. The ND leader appears to have been buoyed by contacts with other European center-right party leaders in Brussels over the weekend. Samaras adopted a milder tone on the handling of Greece?s debt crisis than during previous talks with European politicians but continued to emphasize the need for growth.

Meanwhile, 44 personalities from a range of fields are due to unveil today a citizens? movement aimed at ?contributing to the debate on finding a creative way to tackle the crisis and move the country forward.? Among those involved in the movement, which stresses it is not a political party, are the head of the IOBE think-tank Yiannis Stournaras, author Apostolos Doxiadis, former minister Giorgos Floridis, businessman Aristos Doxiadis and Kathimerini?s Dimitris Rigopoulos.