Tsipras: The old establishment is the country's real enemy in efforts for progress

The bill, named "Emergency regulations for the negotiation and conclusion of agreement with the European Stability Mechanism (ESM)," passed on the strength of the votes from the ruling coalition of SYRIZA and Independent Greeks (ANEL), main opposition New Democracy, To Potami and PASOK.

Voting against it were 64 deputies: 32 of them belonged to the senior ruling coalition party SYRIZA and the rest from the extreme-right Golden Dawn and the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Another 6 deputies, all from SYRIZA, voted "present".

Greece is at a critical point and is being called upon to vote responsibly, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in Parliament on Wednesday night, during a debate on the omnibus bill that includes the prior actions demanded by Greece’s lenders.

Tsipras referred to a tough negotiating process, admitted that mistakes were made, and reiterated his personal responsibility for the struggle. "I personally feel proud because we selflessly fought a difficult battle against the established interests, and against powerful adversaries at that," he said, adding that "despite it all, we are leaving behind us a heritage of self-respect and democracy in Europe. This planting will bear fruit in Europe at some point."

The prime minister asserted that he was subjected to real blackmail which aimed at the government's collapse, and said the only choice he had was between disorderly bankruptcy and the acceptance of the "Schaeuble plan", of the German finance minister, for Grexit.

"I never believed that the evils of this country were due to foreigners," he noted. "The great adversary of progress and leftist forces is within the walls - it's the powers of oligarchy, cartels, state-fed businesses, intertwined interests and tax evasion, all of whom benefitted from the policies and rulers of this country. The government will go anything possible and work as hard as it has done until now to bring order to the country," Tsipras said.

 Among other things, the prime minister said the agreement was difficult but could allow the country to exit the crisis before its conclusion, and charged the main opposition party New Democracy of belonging to the same political family as those who have targeted the Greek people, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while his government fought outside its political alliances.