Schaeuble Eyes Wide Parliament Support for Cyprus Bailout

Germany's finance minister expects his country's parliament to widely approve the bailout plan for indebted Cyprus, he told a newspaper on Monday.

"I am reckoning on a broad majority in the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), also on broad support by the opposition," Wolfgang Schaeuble told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung according to a pre-released excerpt.

He said the vote by German lawmakers on the Cyprus deal could take place in one session. "That is legally without doubt. We have, accordingly, informed all parliamentary groups," he added.

The vote is expected to be held on Thursday.

Some MPs had said the Cyprus program must be submitted to two votes in parliament, the newspaper noted.

On Friday eurozone finance ministers formally approved the terms of the Cyprus debt rescue.

Since the start of the eurozone debt crisis, the German parliament has backed Chancellor Angela Merkel in approving measures to combat the turmoil.