The State budget for 2015, which has caused some controversy, is currently being debated in Parliament, with MPs set to cast a vote at midnight on Sunday. With the troika negotiations having stalled and time running out, a number of MPs have made calls for a consensus on national issues.

New Democracy MP Dora Bakoyanni repeated her call for the government and opposition parties to come to an agreement on the Presidential elections, a national recovery plan and calling general elections. The veteran ND MP however accused main opposition party SYRIZA of “navel-gazing and an introversion that is costing us”.

In his speech ND MP Yannis Vlachos underlined that the Greek government must reject the “absurd creditor demands” and “demand a discussion in political terms and with real financial data”. MP Manousos Voloudakis, also from New Democracy, agreed that the government cannot make any further concessions, in reference to the troika’s demands.

Similarly Spyros Lykoudis called for the government and opposition to agree on the top priorities “even now, at the final moment” and referred to the group initiative of 8 MPs favoring the current Assembly electing a new President. Mr. Lykoudis stressed the need for “an agreement on the essential basic changes” and forming a national negotiation committee for the troika negotiations.

On the other hand KKE MP Spyros Halvatzis opined that the conflict between the coalition government and the main opposition was “empty and fake”, as it concerns secondary and tertiary issues. According to the Communist Party MP, the two sides coincidentally agree on number of main concerns, such as supporting the EU monopolies and treating NATO as an agent of stabilization in the region.

The MP for the Democratic Left Yannis Panousis was more reserved in his support of a national coordination to address the major problems, pointing out that such an effort is doomed if it is not accompanied by the old parties and politicians accepting their mistakes and departing.

Meanwhile, independent MP Theodoros Parastatidis appeared confident that the necessary determination the Greek people will create the conditions for a democratic progressive leftist government with SYRIZA at the helm, despite the intense pressure.

Live televised coverage of the debate in Parliament