Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras mustered support in Parliament to approve austerity measures needed to unlock bailout funds, in a tense vote that weakened his majority after the expulsion of seven dissenting lawmakers.

The bill on pension, wage and benefit cuts was approved with 153 votes in favor in the 300-seat Parliament early today, according to acting Parliament speaker Athanasios Nakos. A total of 128 voted against the bill, with 18 voting "present." One lawmaker was absent.

Samaras fought to stem defections from the three-party coalition, which boasted 179 seats when formed in June, as European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel look for signs that Greek action justifies their efforts to keep the country in the euro. The second round of cuts to pensions and wages this year drew more than 50,000 protesters to Parliament as the government argued for support of the bill.