The Greek prime minister and president of the ruling left-wing SYRIZA party, Alexis Tsipras, will meet the defense Minister and president of the co-governing right-wing ANEL party, Panos Kammenos, on Friday. The talks will be held in a last-minute effort to decide the future of their coalition government.
Tsipras and Kammenos are expected to have a frank discussion on the main issues which their tenuous coalition is currently facing, and both sides appear ready for a possible government coalition breakup.
The meeting takes place after Kammenos’ recent remarks that he was totally opposed to the Prespa Agreement, and amid widespread rumors that he is expected to withdraw from the government as a protest against the upcoming vote on the Agreement.
If this takes place, SYRIZA will lose its parliamentary majority, possibly leading the nation to a snap election. If that comes to pass, Greek media analysts believe the date for the new elections will be between March and May, concurrent with the European elections.
Kammenos is expected to hold a preliminary meeting with his party’s MP’s today, to lay the groundwork for the crucial meeting on Friday. Tensions inside the party remain high, as some MP’s have publicly stated that they will vote in favor of the Prespa agreement, disregarding the official position of their ANEL party, which strongly opposes it.
The parliament in Skopje will hold the final vote on Wednesday regarding the new name of the country. If FYROM’s parliamentarians vote in favor of the Prespa agreement, Greece must also ratify it in their Parliament by the end of January.
Under the provisions of the agreement, FYROM will change its constitutional name from the “Republic of Macedonia” to the ”Republic of North Macedonia”, which may pave the way for the country’s entry into NATO, and at a later date, the European Union.
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