希腊议会批准救助法案

For hours in the Greek Parliament, exchanges were heated.

MPs from all sides, keen to have their say on the austerity measures being voted on.

The speaker of the Parliament described what had been put upon Greece as a "crime against humanity" - a "social genocide".

While MPs voted, protesters gathered outside, unhappy at the cuts being voted through.

"I think that it is clearly a nearly memorandum, it is the harshest ever actually, unfortunately it is voted for by government, proposed by government, that voted for austerity to be kicked out. So apart from imposing new measures that will suppress our lives further it also creates disorientation among people and workers who have hope".

There were some violent scenes, with petrol bombs thrown at riot police, and tear gas fired in return.

But the majority of protestors were peaceful.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, 229 MPs voted YES to pushing through tough austerity measures, with 64 rejecting the plan.

Valdis Dombrovskis who is the European Commission Vice President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, says what is needed now is stability in Greece.

"As you know the Greek economy is back in recession, the banking system is on the verge of collapse and the Greek state is building up outstanding payments. THe economic problems in Greece are taking their toll with serious social consequences. What Greece needs now is stability and confidence. Once financial stability is restored the country can once again look towards economic recovery job opportunities, and a better future particularly for the most vulnerable".

The vote has seen Alexis Tsipras's Syriza Party split, with many of his MPs voting against the deal he secured with Europe.

The coming days will tell whether he and his party can survive.

For CRI, I'm Dan Whitehead in Athens