German lawmakers have approved a four-month extension of Greece΄s bailout in a vote in the lower house of parliament.
542 parliamentarians voted in favor of the extension and 32 voted against. There were 13 abstentions.
Germany΄s finance minister had earlier called on lawmakers to back the bailout, arguing that voting against the bill would cause Germany΄s future “great damage.”
“Greece needs much longer than other program countries to win back trust from financial markets,” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told parliament in a debate ahead of the parliamentary vote.
“Solidarity doesn΄t mean being susceptible to blackmail, it means everyone playing their own part,” Mr. Schäuble said, telling German lawmakers that “Greece can΄t decide alone in Europe what the right path is.”
“We Germans have to do everything to keep Europe together,” Mr. Schäuble said.