ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Friday expelled from his parliamentary group a senior party member who had attacked the government on Twitter for setting aside plans to renegotiate an unpopular bailout.
Nikos Nikolopoulos, a lawmaker from the ruling New Democracy party, had already quit as deputy labour minister last month after accusing the government of not boldly pushing for changes to the programme from the troika of European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders.
"The strategic dead-end is clear. The renegotiation flag was a dream. We have forgotten it. What can people at their limits expect from the troika? Leniency or punishment?" he tweeted.
He later tweeted: "A recession for the Guinness Book of Records. Our country has had more consecutive years of recession than any other country in the world. This land can't take it anymore."
Even with Nikolopoulos' expulsion, the government still has solid parliamentary majority. The lawmaker was also referred to the party's ethics committee during parliamentary proceedings on Friday.
Samaras took power in June promising to renegotiate the country's latest rescue package, but has been forced to put that demand on the backburner until the country can restore lost credibility with its European and IMF partners.
Greece is struggling through its fifth year of recession, which critics say has been exacerbated by austerity cuts demanded under two bailouts the country has secured since 2010.
(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)