Greek PM calls for confidence
vote following key departure
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| Panos Kammenos announces his resignation as Defense Minister. |
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is calling for a
parliamentary confidence vote in his government, after his Defense Minister
quit earlier on Sunday in protest over a deal regarding Macedonia's name
change.
By John Carr
Greece’s government split on Sunday after the junior
coalition partner walked out in disagreement over Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras’ tension-reducing deal with neighbouring Macedonia.
The small Independent Greeks party, headed by Defence
Minister Panos Kammenos, had been in an increasingly uncomfortable cohabitation
with Tsipras' Syriza party for at least six months.
The crisis came to a head when Kammenos told Tsipras he was
resigning. He has also quit as defence minister.
Tsipras now heads a minority government with 145 seats in
the 300-seat Parliament. He said on Sunday he would call for a vote of
confidence this week. He’s confident of gaining six more deputies from other
parties to win the vote, which would entail endorsement of the agreement with
Macedonia – or, as it will now be called officially, North Macedonia.
By his intransigent stand, Kammenos hopes to capitalize on
the large segment of Greek public opinion opposed to any use of the name
Macedonia, in any form, apart from the Greek province of the same name.
But it’s clearly a victory for Tsipras’ conciliatory policy
of easing Balkan tensions, backed strongly by Brussels and Washington.
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