Greek Parliament Approves Second Bailout Loan Contract 

(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) The Greek parliament approved early Wednesday the terms of a second international bailout loan contract aiming to avoid a catastrophic Greek bankruptcy during a televised vote, amid a new wave of anti-austerity protests.

The 130-billion-euro (172 billion U.S. dollars) rescue loan package contract cleared the 300-member strong assembly in the roll call vote with the support of the two parties that back the interim government of Lucas Papademos since November, the socialists of PASOK and the conservatives of New Democracy.

A total of 213 deputies voted in favor and 79 MPs voted against out of a total 292 present members of parliament.

Without the bailout deal Greece reached with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund creditors recently - the second since 2010 - pledging further tough austerity and reform measures in exchange, the debt-ridden country could default this March unable to repay a bond that expired on Tuesday or meet other urgent financing needs.

But the fresh set of cuts on wages, pensions, lay-offs in the public sector and structural reforms, after waves of similar policies in the past two years that have reduced the income of the average household and fueled unemployment and recession, has been met with strong objections by critics inside and outside the parliament.