Skourletis suggest confidence vote likely, snap elections may follow

Energy Minister Panos Skourletis gave on Monday the strongest indication yet that the government will call a confidence vote following a rebellion among lawmakers from the ruling Syriza party over the country's new bailout deal.

The government has said its priority is to secure a start to funding from international creditors so that Greece can make a 3.2 billion euro debt repayment to the European Central Bank on Thursday.

However, asked on Skai television about the possibility of a parliamentary confidence vote after this, Skourletis said:

"I consider it self-evident after the deep wound in Syriza's parliamentary group for there to be such a move."

He also alluded to the possibility of early elections should Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lose such a vote. "There is also an issue of democratic accountability," he said.

Almost a third of Syriza deputies abstained or voted against the bailout agreement on Friday.

[Reuters]