German lawmakers back third Greek bailout

German lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of a third Greek bailout on Wednesday, heeding a call from Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to give Greece the chance for a new start, despite his own concerns it might not work.

There was a sizeable rebellion in Chancellor Angela Merkel's own party ranks, however, suggesting she cannot return to parliament to seek aid for Athens again.

The Bundestag lower house of parliament, whose backing is essential for the release of bailout funds, approved the plan by 454 votes to 113, with 18 abstentions.

A breakdown of which lawmakers voted 'no' was not immediately available.

Popular misgivings about sending more aid to Athens run deep in Germany, the euro zone country which has already contributed most to Greece's two previous bailouts since 2010. The new package is worth 86 billion euros ($94.94 billion).

Schaeuble, Germany's toughest negotiator on the Greek bailout, led calls for a 'yes' vote in the parliamentary debate.