Percorso:ANSA > Nuova Europa > News > Clash over Macedonia, Tsipras's government is faltering
Clash over Macedonia, Tsipras's government is faltering
Defence Minister resigned. Crisis is possible
14 January, 16:01
(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 14 - In Greece, Alexis Tsipras's
government is faltering. Panos Kammenos - leader of the
rightwing nationalist party, ANEL, and coalition partner -
resigned as defence minister after Macedonia finally approved a
constitutional reform to change its name to 'Republic of
Northern Macedonia', based on agreement signed in June by Greek
prime minister and his Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev.
The agreement must now be ratified by the Greek Parliament, but Kammenos and his party have always said they are against it. The nationalist leader confirmed the "irreconcilable differences" with the premier, who accepted Kammenos's resignation, appointing as its substitute the head of the armed forces, admiral Evangelos Apostolakis. The prime minister asked for a vote of confidence in his aministration in Parliament. The motion will probably be discussed on Tuesday and voted on Wednesday.
The ruling coalition has 153 seats out of 300 in Parliament: Syriza, Tsipras's leftwing party, has 145 seats, ANEL has 7 seats and one belongs to an independent MP. If the government does not win the vote of confidence, early elections will be likely to take place in Greece. After the resignation of the Defence Minister, Tsipras will now need the support of the opposition in order to obtain ratification on the name of Macedonia and then have the process concluded. At a press conference, Kammenos reiterated that his party and he will vote against confidence and reject the agreement on the name of Macedonia.
Kammenos himself said he was certain of the support of two more MPs, including the Deputy Defense Minister, Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha, who also announced her resignation. Two other MPs (ANEL) have always said that they will vote in favour of the name agreement with Macedonia whereas the remaining two, the Tourism Minister, Elena Kountoura, and the Deputy Agriculture Minister, Vassilis Kokkalis, both on a mission abroad, have not yet expressed their opinion. On Friday, the Parliament in Skopje approved to the constitutional amendments envisaged by the name agreement signed with Greece last June: Macedonia will henceforth be called 'Northern Macedonia', a condition imposed by Athens to remove the block that during the bilateral 27-year-long dispute hindered the integration of the former Yugoslav country into the EU and Nato.
In order to come into effect, the name agreement should now be ratified by the Greek Parliament, but after Kammenos's resignation, everything becomes more difficult. (ANSA).
© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
The agreement must now be ratified by the Greek Parliament, but Kammenos and his party have always said they are against it. The nationalist leader confirmed the "irreconcilable differences" with the premier, who accepted Kammenos's resignation, appointing as its substitute the head of the armed forces, admiral Evangelos Apostolakis. The prime minister asked for a vote of confidence in his aministration in Parliament. The motion will probably be discussed on Tuesday and voted on Wednesday.
The ruling coalition has 153 seats out of 300 in Parliament: Syriza, Tsipras's leftwing party, has 145 seats, ANEL has 7 seats and one belongs to an independent MP. If the government does not win the vote of confidence, early elections will be likely to take place in Greece. After the resignation of the Defence Minister, Tsipras will now need the support of the opposition in order to obtain ratification on the name of Macedonia and then have the process concluded. At a press conference, Kammenos reiterated that his party and he will vote against confidence and reject the agreement on the name of Macedonia.
Kammenos himself said he was certain of the support of two more MPs, including the Deputy Defense Minister, Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha, who also announced her resignation. Two other MPs (ANEL) have always said that they will vote in favour of the name agreement with Macedonia whereas the remaining two, the Tourism Minister, Elena Kountoura, and the Deputy Agriculture Minister, Vassilis Kokkalis, both on a mission abroad, have not yet expressed their opinion. On Friday, the Parliament in Skopje approved to the constitutional amendments envisaged by the name agreement signed with Greece last June: Macedonia will henceforth be called 'Northern Macedonia', a condition imposed by Athens to remove the block that during the bilateral 27-year-long dispute hindered the integration of the former Yugoslav country into the EU and Nato.
In order to come into effect, the name agreement should now be ratified by the Greek Parliament, but after Kammenos's resignation, everything becomes more difficult. (ANSA).
