(VOVworld) - The Greek parliament approved a referendum on the latest offer of a debt deal by its EU-IMF creditors by a majority vote late Saturday night, according to the assembly's count.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (Photo: AFP)

The referendum planned for Sunday July 5th was approved by at least 179 deputies out of a total of 300 lawmakers. Verification of the vote count was underway. In a speech prior to the vote, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he was confident that "the Greek people will say an emphatic no to the ultimatum" by the country's EU-IMF creditors, but "a big yes to European solidarity". He also expressed confidence that "in the aftermath of this proud no, the negotiating power of the country (with the country's creditors) will be strengthened".