BREAKING NEWS

Greek government wins confidence vote before first bailout review

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' government comfortably won a confidence vote early on Thursday, starting a race to pass key reform laws before Athens undergoes a crucial first review of its international bailout.
Greece has promised to implement the third bailout programme agreed with European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders in August in exchange for 86 billion euros. It wants the first review to be wrapped up soon so it can start talks on a debt relief before the end of the year.
"We will quickly pass the hurdle of the first review, we will conclude the big issues of the bank recapitalisation and the debt and we will proceed at a measured pace to change Greece," Tsipras said in a speech before the vote.
"I'm convinced that we will make it," he said adding that the government aims to conclude the review within November.
Tsipras, who was re-elected on Sept. 20, won the backing of all 155 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament who support his radical left-right coalition.