Brussels, 17/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, Christos Sylianides, a Cypriot government spokesman, said on the RIK radio station that the Cypriot parliament would have to give the go-ahead to the aid programme established by the troika of lenders (European Commission, ECB and IMF).
On Tuesday, Cypriot General Prosecutor Petros Clerides said that, under the Cypriot constitution, any agreement would have to be endorsed by the country's parliament. The exact date of the vote is not yet known, but it is expected to be next week if Cyprus is to stick to the timeline for the aid programme to be formally signed on Friday 26 April.
The Cypriot government has a slender majority in parliament. A Cypriot source explained that although the opposition parties oppose the deal, they understand how important it is. Stylianides said: “Anyone who is ready to vote against the loan agreement should at the same time be prepared to come up with €10 billion needed to continue to pay salaries and pensions”.
Some other national parliaments also have to endorse the deal, and the German Bundestag will be voting on Thursday. Cyprus is expected to come up with a total of €13 billion itself (including bank bailouts). Cypriot Finance Minister Harris Georgiades said in an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday that the government will sell some gold over the next few months, once the central bank gives the go-ahead. (EL/transl.fl)