World Bulletin / News Desk

The Greek coalition government has survived a confidence vote after the left-wing opposition Syriza criticized it for its austerity measures.

Antonis Samaras was able to maintain control of the government with a victory of 153 votes against 124 in the 300-seat parliament. However, one of the members of the coalition was expelled for voting against the government.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras was quoted by the BBC as saying "Thousands of people are looking in the rubbish for food," as party supporters gathered outside the parliament to express their frustration with the coalition.

Greece has had to make major cuts after being granted two bailouts totaling €240 billion, and is expected to receive another €11 billion next year from the Troika (European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund).

Having barely survived bankruptcy and defaulting from the Eurozone last year after elections produced no clear winner. A last ditch coalition was formed based around Greece’s desperate need for a bailout.