GREECE’S leftist government will be able to push through a crucial pension reform in parliament, part of measures the country has agreed to under its international bailout, the deputy prime minister said in a newspaper interview released Saturday.

    Greece has drafted a proposal to overhaul its ailing pension system, which envisages merging all six pension funds into one and a possible cut of future main pensions by up to 30 percent. It plans to submit the proposal to parliament by the end of the month and to hold a vote on it in early February.

    Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government has a parliamentary majority of just three seats and the reform, which opposition parties and many pensioners and workers oppose, will test its resolve to implement actions agreed with international creditors.

    Asked whether Tsipras’ ruling coalition has secured enough support from lawmakers, Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis said, “The government has a strong and solid (parliamentary) majority.”(SD-Agencies)