Tsipras says he has strong mandate to seal agreement with creditors

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras issued a brief statement after a vote in Parliament early Saturday on the proposals his government submitted to the instititions on Thursday.

The proposals gained overwhelming support from MPs, with 251 voting in favor of the plan. However, 17 coalition lawmakers failed to support the proposals and Tsipras suggested he would take action about this once talks in Brussels have been concluded.

"The national Parliament gave the government today a strong mangate to complete the negotiations for the achievemnet of an economically viable and socially just agreement with the partners," he said.

"The priority is to succesfully conclude the negotiations. Everything else will be dealt with at the appropriate time."