ATHENS (Reuters) - The Greek parliament's vote on the austerity measures needed to begin talks on a new bailout agreement revealed a serious split in the ruling Syriza party but the immediate priority remains to secure the deal, the government's spokesman said on Thursday.
The measures were passed with the support of pro-European opposition parties, with 229 deputies in the 300-seat chamber voting to approve the measures.
However 32 Syriza deputies voted against the measures while another six abstained, after party hardliners refused to back a deal they said went against the principles of a party elected in January on a strong anti-austerity platform.
Government spokesman Gabriel Salelaridis said the vote was the first important step towards a deal.
"But the results of today's vote constitute a serious division in the unity of Syriza's parliamentary group," he said.
"The basic priority of the prime minister and the government is the immediate and successful completion of the agreement," he said, suggesting that the government would seek to remain in office for the moment, despite losing its majority in parliament.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Michele Kambas, writing by James Mackenzie)