To Potami expresses support for name deal without explicit position on vote

Centrist To Potami on Friday expressed its support in principle for a name deal between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia without explicitly stating whether it will back the agreement when it comes to a vote in Greece's Parliament. 

Potami stressed that its overall positive view of the deal is tantamount to support “for Greece and not for the collapsing [Alexis] Tsipras,” referring to the prime minister.

“There are those that are making Potami's positive stance to the Prespes agreement appear as support for Mr Tsipras. They are making a big mistake… To Potami only supports the interests of the Greeks,” the party said on Friday.

On Thursday, Potami had said it fully supports a solution to the name dispute FYROM, but fell short of explicitly backing the Prespes accord.

“Our movement remains firm in the decision of its conference that the problem with FYROM must be resolved and Greece must play a leading role in opening the European path to the neighboring country,” the party said in a statement after a meeting of its political council which was also attended by Potami's MEPs and other party bodies.

“When it comes to national issues, Potami doesn't form its position based on party interest, neither does it change its views depending on the ups and downs of any given time. We have stable principles, we don't have ideological obsessions and we don't act impulsively,” it added.

However, the statement did not clarify whether its lawmakers will approve the name deal signed to resolve the decades-old name dispute when the government tables in it Parliament in the coming days.

The centrist party has five seats in the 300-seat House, leaving the government one vote short of an absolute majority. However, the government appears confident of mustering at least one more vote from the independent bench or from other opposition parties.