By G. Kampourakis
[email protected]
A high-ranking government source told “N” on Monday that a landmark agreement to resolve the fYRoM “name issue” will first be ratified by Greece’s Parliament before elections are held.
In the wake of a disappointing voter turnout in the neighboring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) on Sunday during a referendum to approve of the bilateral “Prespa Agreement”, the assessment by the poll-trailing Tsipras government in Athens is that fYRoM Prime Minister Zoran Zaev will overcome whatever legislative obstacles remain in that country to ratify the pact.
The latest “road map”, again according to the leftist-rightist Greek government in Athens, is that Zaev will successfully complete the process in the neighboring country by “March, at the latest”. Zaev will need a greater majority in the Skopje Parliament to pass constitutional revisions entailed in the agreement.
Outwardly, at least, members of the mostly Tsipras government continue to maintain that the Prespa Agreement will be ratified by Greece’s Parliament by more than 151 MPs (out of 300 in the legislature), regardless of what Defense Minister Panos Kammenos and his remaining AN.EL deputies vote.
The latest scenario favored by top government officials gains both time for the struggling coalition, and leaves open the prospect of junior coalition partner, the right-wing AN.EL. party, of still propping the government even while opposing the agreement.
General elections in the country can come no later than September 2019. With his leftist SYRIZA party trailing main opposition New Democracy (ND) in all mainstream opinion polls and with his personal approval ratings failing, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras appears weary of calling snap elections.
Besides the Prespa Agreement, another major wager for the coalition government is to suspend a pending reduction of social security spending, set for January 2019, with a final decision by creditors expected to be announced in December, probably at a Eurogroup meeting.
