Greek lawmakers approve new reforms, clearing way for bailout talks

Lawmakers in Greece overwhelmingly approved a new package of legal and banking changes demanded by its global creditors in exchange for a third multi-billion euro bailout, according to reports.

The vote came at 4 a.m. Greece time after vigorous debate.

Members of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party continued to rebel against what they view as his willingness to give in to creditors' demands. But Tsipras still had no trouble pushing through an approval.

Tsipras won support of at least 151 lawmakers in Greece's 300-seat Parliament in Athens, Bloomberg reports.

The vote was a necessary prerequisite to an 86-billion euro, or $93 billion, bailout that the country needs to avoid financial collapse.

Yanis Varoufakis, a member of Parliament representing Syriza, said via Twitter, loosely translated, that he voted yes "to give my comrades hoping to gain time so that, united together, plan the new resistance to authoritarianism."

Varoufakis also was minister of finance but resigned on July 6 and told CNN European lenders were forcing his country to choose between "suicide or execution."

Contributing: The Associated Press