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Scenes of running battles between police and rioters and flames engulfing cinemas, shops and banks underscored a sense of deepening turmoil in the country after more than four years of recession and two of punishing austerity.

The EU warned on Monday that the consequences of failure would be “devastating.”

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It gave the fragile ruling coalition of Prime Minister Lucas Papademos until Wednesday, when euro zone finance ministers are expected to meet, to specify how 325 million euros of the 3.3 billion euros demanded in budget savings will be achieved.

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By the same deadline, Greek political leaders must give a written commitment to implement the terms of the deal, a Greek government spokesman said, reflecting fatigue among EU leaders who say they have heard enough broken promises.

The spokesman said Greece would hold an election in April, when deep public anger over the second round of austerity could drive voters further to the left and right and test Greece’s commitment to the programme.

Euro zone paymaster Germany said ahead of the vote that it was losing patience with throwing money into the “bottomless pit” of Greece’s debt crisis. Official reaction from Berlin on Monday was muted.

“Now we need to wait and see what comes after the legislation,” Economy Minister and deputy Prime Minister Philipp Roesler said on German television.

“We have taken one step in the right direction but we are still far from the goal,” he said.