Tzanakopoulos: gov’t will call vote of confidence if coalition partner opposes Macedonia deal
In comments to reporters on Wednesday, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said that a vote of confidence would be held in the event that the junior partner in the coalition, the right-wing Independent Greeks (ANEL), votes against the Macedonia name deal in Greece's Parliament.
Asked about comments by the ANEL MP Panagiotis Sgouridis, according to which Athens made concessions on the name deal in order to secure a deal to lighten its debt at Thursday's Eurogroup meeting, Tzanakopoulos dismissed them as rumors.
"Many have rushed to spread rumors about a so-called exchange by the government on the Macedonia issue to secure a solution on the debt," he said. "Those rumors reveal an ignorance about the way institutions and governments work in Europe."
Tzanakopoulos also hit out at conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, calling him "exclusively responsible for the extreme right shift of ND," adding that he had adopted the rhetoric of the far-right opposition in Skopje.
