Divisions widen in Syriza ahead of bailout vote

1	Greece's ruling Syriza party is edging towards a formal split this afternoon, hours before rebel leftist politicians plan to vote against a new bailout deal to keep the country afloat.
2	With opposition support, the government is asking parliament to approve an 85bn bailout deal that Greece needs to avoid defaulting on a debt repayment next week.
3	The vote, expected in the early hours of tomorrow, will test the strength of a rebellion by anti-austerity Syriza politicians, which could raise pressure on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to call snap elections as early as September.
4	The rebels' leader, former energy minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, took a step towards breaking away from Syriza, a coalition of leftist groups which stormed to power in January promising to reverse austerity policies demanded by the eurozone and International Monetary Fund creditors.
5	"The fight against the new bailout starts today, by mobilising people in every corner of the country," said a statement signed by Mr Lafazanis and 11 other Syriza members posted on the far-left faction's Iskra website.
6	The statement called for founding a "united movement that will justify people's desire for democracy and social justice" although it did not explicitly call for a new party or a split from Syriza.
7	Parliament, however, is expected to approve the bailout agreement by a comfortable margin since opposition parties have promised their backing for the government to ensure Greece does not return to financial chaos.
8	Mr Tsipras has faced a rebellion among about a quarter of his 149 politicians since agreeing last month to the bailout deal under the threat of a banking collapse and eurozone exit.
9	He has long argued Greece cannot repay all its huge debts and demanded a partial write-off.
10	However, the creditors - the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF - have agreed to consider the issue only after a review in October of the government's implementation of its side of the deal.