Greek Prime Minister to call for confidence vote in government as Defence Minister resigns over Macedonia name change
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday said he would call a confidence vote in his government after his coalition ally quit, leaving him bereft of a parliamentary majority and raising the possibility of snap elections.
Earlier, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, leader of the junior partner in the country’s coalition government, has resigned over the Macedonia name deal – which he opposes.
Panos Kammenos’s Independent Greeks party had seven MPs, enough to get Tsipras’s administration past the threshold of 150 deputies in the 300-member parliament. Tsipras’s Syriza party has 145 seats and also the support of one independent lawmaker.
“I have taken my decision and have informed the president of parliament that we will immediately move to the process outlined by the constitution for the renewal of the confidence in my government,” Tsipras told journalists.
The confidence vote is expected to take place later this week. Kammenos said he would not support Tsipras in the vote.
Syriza is trailing between eight and 12 points behind the main conservative New Democracy party, which also opposed the deal with Macedonia, in pre-election polls.
