Meanwhile workers continued with a 48 hour general strike to protests against painful austerity measures. Pireaus port was blockaded preventing ferries to the islands and trains and buses in the capital were not running.
The new austerity measures must be passed in a two-part vote on Wednesday and Thursday if Greece's international creditors are to release the next €12 billion batch of the country's €110 billion bail-out fund and prevent a default that could drag down European banks and shake the European and world economy.
Prime Minister George Papandreou should be able to pass the midterm economic plan as his socialist party holds a majority of five seats but there have been grumblings of dissent within his own ranks.
Voting by the 300 deputies was expected to begin early afternoon.
Article Source KBG Test Blog (http://rc.kbg.me)
